Trademark & Seal
The brand is the banner of a community: it encompasses shared values, a sense of belonging and history, transforming a graphic symbol into a collective soul .
The first official symbol of the University of Padua was founded in 1894 on the initiative of the Rector Carlo Francesco Ferraris, to enhance the historical memory of the University. The seal had to represent three elements: the foundation of the Studio (dated 1222), a symbol of the Municipality of Padova (the coat of arms with a red cross on a white field) and the internal distinction between Universitas Iuristarum and Universitas Artistarum. These two souls were depicted respectively by St. Catherine of Alexandria (patron saint of jurists) and the Risen Christ (patron saint of artists), with the relative inscriptions and the circular inscription
In 1966, the Academic Senate, under the leadership of Rector Guido Ferro, considered that the seal of 1894 was not "fully adherent to traditions and therefore could be simplified". The project was assigned to the sculptor Luigi Strazzabosco who, with his design, kept the figures of St. Catherine and the Risen Christ, but with a new heraldic composition: a blue field with nine stars, the date MCCXXII and the Gothic inscription Universitas Studii Paduani.
In 2006 , the seal was restyled to improve readability.
In 2026, the University logo was graphically updated to ensure legibility and recognisability in the contemporary communication ecosystem.
The pictogram is inspired by the heraldic seal and contains the elements of identity. The figures represent the patrons of the two Studios, that of the jurists and that of the artists. Also present in the pictogram are the stars, which symbolize the disciplines, the year of foundation "1222" written in Arabic numerals and the motto of Ateneo Universa Universis Patavina Libertas.