Florida Atlantic Owls Logo PNG
Despite the menacing appearance of the Florida Atlantic Owls’ mascot, the Atlantic University faculty logo reflects a close connection to the owls that inhabit its territory. It symbolizes wisdom, prudence, and endurance.
Florida Atlantic Owls: Brand overview
Florida Atlantic University was founded in 1964 in Boca Raton, Florida. Its athletics program, known as the Owls, began in 1979 with a limited set of sports, drawing the nickname from a campus recognized by the National Audubon Society as an owl sanctuary.
Men’s basketball started in 1988–89 in Division II with a 111:62 win over Palm Beach Atlantic University. In 1993, FAU moved to Division I and joined the Atlantic Sun Conference. A key moment came in 1998 with an 83:81 upset over Oklahoma State. In 2002, the team won the conference title and reached the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Alabama.
The football program was launched in 1998 under Howard Schnellenberger, who built Miami’s 1983 championship team. FAU entered Division I-AA in 2001 and moved to FBS in 2004, later joining the Sun Belt Conference. In 2013, the university transitioned to Conference USA.
The 2022–23 season reshaped the program. Under Dusty May, hired in 2018, FAU recorded 20 straight wins, entered the AP rankings, and won both the regular-season and tournament titles in Conference USA. In March Madness, wins over Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee, and Kansas State pushed FAU to the Final Four, where it lost 71:72 to San Diego State on a buzzer-beater. The team finished 35:4.
In 2024, FAU returned to the NCAA Tournament but lost in overtime to Northwestern. Soon after, May left for Michigan, and key players transferred, including Johnell Davis to Arkansas, Alijah Martin to Florida, and Vladislav Goldin to Michigan.
Meaning and History
The logo, adopted in 1994, features a flying owl. It has spread its wings wide and bared its claws. Across it is the inscription “FAU,” a reference to the university’s name. The red slanted letters have small serifs and a white outline with dark blue shadows. The latter gives them a subtle 3D effect.
The redesign led to a brand-new emblem in 2005, quite different from the previous one. It’s a schematic owl’s head composed of horizontal ellipses, semicircles, and other geometric shapes in white and blue. It’s complemented by a small “Florida Atlantic” inscription on a red ribbon and by the large letters “FAU.” An interesting decision was the addition of wings on the sides of the “F” and “U.” They indicate a close connection between the university and the owls.
What is Florida Atlantic Owls?
The Florida Atlantic Owls are the sports department of Florida Atlantic University, a member of Conference USA, and a participant in NCAA Division I. Starting in 2023, they will also join the American Athletic Conference. Out of 19 student teams, the basketball team achieved the greatest success, reaching the NCAA finals in 2023.
1979 – 1983
When FAU became a four-year educational institution, it had its own sports teams. An American owl was chosen as the mascot because one of the university’s campuses has been an official sanctuary for this endangered bird species since April 23, 1971.
The emblem resembles a round seal with several concentric rings. In the center is a monogram of lowercase letters “f,” “a,” and “u,” superimposed on each other. In the wide frame is the inscription “FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY.” Two bold dots separate it from the name of the city of Boca Raton, where the institution’s main campus is located. The color palette remains blue and white.
1983 – 1989
The logo resembles a round seal with several concentric rings. In the center is a monogram of lowercase letters “f,” “a,” and “u” overlaid. In the wide frame is the inscription “FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY.” Two bold dots separate it from the name of the city of Boca Raton, where the institution’s main campus is located. The color scheme remains blue and white.
1989 – 1993
Designers retained the emblem’s round shape and the central monogram. But the inscription on the ring has been changed: it now contains only the university’s name. It’s colored white to stand out against the dark blue background.
2000 – 2005
The first football team of the Florida Atlantic Owls was formed in 2001. A few months earlier, FAU decided to create a bolder, more aggressive image. The old logo with the contemplative bird did not match the desired image. Moreover, some consultants suggested abandoning the American owl as a mascot, deeming it unconvincing. However, the university community was categorically against this.
Eventually, the owl remained in both the sports department’s logo and name. To give the bird an aggressive look, artist Todd Dawes depicted it flying, with claws thrust forward, sharp talons, widely spread wings, and a slightly open beak. The fierce predator looks threatening, ready to confront anyone who stands in its way. In the foreground is the abbreviation “FAU.” The letters have sharp serifs resembling spikes. The red inscription with white outlines stands out brightly against the yellow-blue image.
2005 – 2018
This logo, unofficially known as “Winged FAU,” consists of almost half of the large white letters “F,” “A,” and “U” with wings on the sides. One bird’s wing is attached to the letter “F” and the other to the letter “U,” so it seems that the inscription is about to take off. Beneath it is a red ribbon with the white phrase “FLORIDA ATLANTIC.” It separates the lower part of the emblem, a white oval with a wide dark-blue frame, from which an owl of the same color flies. Artists added gray contours to prevent the elements from blending.
The new design was presented in February 2005, but work on it began 18 months earlier. The university turned to the consulting firm Rickabaugh Graphics, which conducted a sports team branding assessment and helped create an expressive logo while retaining the familiar mascot.
2018 – 2023
In 2018, the graphic sign was simplified. The winged inscription “FAU” is located directly on the owl’s head, which no longer has a body or oval background. Among the gray, white, and dark blue elements, two red stripes above the bird’s eyes lend its gaze a confident, piercing look.
2023 – today
For some reason, designers removed the “FAU” abbreviation from the university’s visual symbols system. As a result, the only inscription was removed from the logo, so now the sports teams are represented only by the owl’s head. It comprises simple geometric shapes, including ovals, triangles, semicircles, half-rings, and curved blue, gray, and red stripes.
This is the American owl, a bird that has become a unique part of the university’s history. As of 2023, about 34 representatives of this endangered bird species lived on the main campus. Despite its apparent simplicity and harmlessness, the owl is a fierce predator, making it an excellent candidate for a sports team mascot.
FAU Logo
A patriotic version of the Florida Atlantic Owls’ emblem was used during significant holidays. Here, the bird’s head is supplemented with winged letters “FAU,” colored in shades of the American flag. The blue “F” is covered with numerous white stars, the “U” is marked with red and white stripes, and the “A” combines both designs; the border between them runs right down the middle. Otherwise, the emblem retains its usual look: designers have kept the oval owl’s head, with large, semicircular eyes, red eyebrows, and a gray-blue beak resembling a leaf.
In 2001, the university formed an American football team. It proved very successful, and after four seasons, it moved from the FCS to the FBS level, joining the Sun Belt Conference. Currently, the players are coached by Willie Taggart.
In 2006 and 2007, Florida Atlantic University’s baseball team was recognized as one of the best in the Sun Belt Conference. The team also ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA in five categories. Shortly before that, in 2002, the basketball players achieved their first victory at the Super Regional.
Font and Colors
The contemporary sports team logo contains no inscriptions. Until 2023, it included the abbreviation “FAU,” composed of uppercase glyphs with distinct designs. The letters “F” and “U” resemble wings, and the letter “A” has two rectangular serifs pointed in different directions.
The image’s colors correspond to the official palette of the university:
- Dark blue (#003366);
- Red (#CC0000);
- Light gray (#CCCCCC).
White is also used to color several fragments of the owl.
