San Diego State Aztecs Logo

San Diego State Aztecs Logo PNG

In the case of San Diego State Aztecs, the logo is a monogram of the letters “S” and “D,” representing the university’s hometown. The arrow depicted is a symbol of the Indian people, after whom the sports department was named. At the same time, the emblem is painted in the official colors of the educational institution: scarlet and black.

Meaning and History

The San Diego State University sports teams are called the Aztecs. This nickname has been used since 1925. It represents the athletes as brave and warlike because the Aztecs were an Indian people who built a powerful empire and resisted the Spanish invaders for a long time.

Human rights activists demanded that SDSU abandon the name associated with the indigenous population of America, but they did not succeed. All they have achieved is that the school no longer uses the Aztec warrior as its talisman – now, he is considered simply a “spiritual leader.” But the spear from the logo has remained. It still complements the red and black “SD” monogram representing the university’s athletes for decades.

What is San Diego State Aztecs?

San Diego State Aztecs are sports teams made up of students from San Diego State University. They represent the institution in intercollegiate competitions in football, lacrosse, golf, basketball, water polo, volleyball, track and field, tennis, diving, softball, baseball, and other sports.

1961 – 1982

One of the first San Diego State Aztecs logos contained the head of an Aztec warrior in a cartoon style. She was depicted half-turned to show her face with furrowed brows and pursed lips. The artists used light brown for the skin, black for the contours and hair, and white and dark red for the headdress.

1982 – 1997

This emblem of sports teams looked like a petroglyph, that is, a rock drawing painted with paint. The designers created an abstract portrait of an Aztec consisting of dark red geometric shapes with white spaces. The spots created the outlines of the mouth, nose, ear, hair, and protruding strong-willed chin. The warrior’s eye was shaped by negative space.

1997 – 2002

In the late 1990s, the San Diego State Aztecs logo featured a masculine profile of a red-skinned Indian. The warrior looked up seriously and confidently. A magnificent crown of red and yellow feathers covered his ear like a helmet on his head. At the bottom was a stylized “AZTECS” written in red letters with a white outline against a black polygon with a yellow outline.

2002 – 2013

In 2002, sports teams began using the first version of the monogram emblem. In the background was a large burgundy “S,” stripped of its usual smoothness and rounded curves. A black “D” was threaded into its free edges, and the long triangular serifs “S” played the role of sides that did not allow the second letter to “fall out.” In the center of the composition was written the word “STATE” in gold, an obvious reference to San Diego State. The artists stylized the “D” as a bow, depicting the protruding ends of the arrow on both sides. So they tried to tie the logo to the Aztec Indian tribe without using the image of a dark-skinned warrior.

2013 – today

A common symbol unites all SDSU sports teams in the form of intertwined letters “S” and “D.” The red “S” consists of several interconnected rectangles and trapeziums, and its ends are decorated with triangular serifs directed inwards. A black “D” is threaded through the curving edges of the “S,” which is stylized as a bow with a stretched bowstring. On the left side, a spear shaft sticks out of the “D,” and on the right side, a sharp, jagged tip. This element links the logo to the San Diego State Aztecs name. And he personifies the courage, strength, militancy, and power of the indigenous population of Mexico. No wonder the spear is considered an integral part of Aztec culture.

In 2017, the university wanted to change the sports logo to remove any hints of a connection with the Indian people. But it was decided to leave everything as it is, so SDSU Athletics continues to use the version adopted in 2013.

Font and Colors

The main symbol of the SDSU sports department is the Aztec, but the artists did not depict it on the team logo. Instead, they decided to use the attribute of an Indian warrior – an arrow. In this case, it connects with the “D” because it harmoniously integrates into the monogram.

The San Diego State Aztecs logo has only two letters: “S” and “D.” They’re both hand-drawn, with one of them stylized as a bow and arrow, so it’s not a typical block type with sharp serifs, but a custom set of glyphs. The monogram is in the university’s official colors (scarlet and black), with white outlines added.

San Diego State Aztecs color codes