Coinciding with Maritime Month, the Port of San Diego has announced a rebranding and a new logo to go with it.
As a rare native resident of San Diego, California, I take great interest in all things related to my city. As a cruise traveler, I am particularly interested in my local homeport.
Having studied graphic design in college, I must admit I'm not sorry to see the old badge go away. The former three flag symbol was rather generic, and the typeface was peculiar and dated.
Simplifying the title from "Unified Port of San Diego" to just "Port of San Diego" was also a great start. The font is now clearer and bolder, while the pentagon symbol is a great modern representation of the port's five sub-brands with another five abstract waves cleverly clipped within.
The new brand is intended for marketing purposes to better convey the port's several facets while attracting more businesses and people to the waterfront. The five functions that are encompassed under the single umbrella are Maritime, Waterfront Development, Public Safety, Experiences and Environment.
"The ongoing, monumental transformation of the San Diego Bay tidelands signals that it's a new day for the Port of San Diego," said Robert "Dukie" Valderrama, Chair of the Board of Port Commissioners, in a press release.
"We are doing more to benefit the region than ever before. At the same time, we are increasingly more outward-facing and publicly engaged. The new brand captures all this to clearly communicate our promise of opportunity for residents and visitors, businesses and other stakeholders."
[READMORE]READ MORE: San Diego, California: America's Finest Homeport[/READMORE]
The port also released a video on YouTube to celebrate the new strategy. Front and center is a time-lapse of a Princess Cruises ship sailing into the bay and docking at the city's signature Embarcadero along the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal.
From a cruise travel perspective, San Diego is uniquely convenient: The cruise port is only a five minute, 2.5-mile drive from San Diego International Airport and just 1.5 blocks down from the train depot and trolley station. In fact, you can watch planes landing and taking off while onboard a ship and vice versa.
I may be partial, but it doesn't take much for anyone to appreciate such close proximities.
Now, the refreshed brand hopes to drive more opportunities for all port sectors. Randa Coniglio, President & CEO of the Port explained in the press release, "Rebranding the Port was a thoughtful and deliberate business decision. To the extent our brand enhances understanding of what the Port does and contributes to the region's prosperity and quality of life, it will directly benefit multiple audiences."
Curiously, the release makes no mention of cruising specifically, but it is surely a part of the new efforts.
After all, it clearly reads, "The strategy is directly tied to the Port's financial sustainability, and its ability to fund vital public services and amenities."
[READMORE]READ MORE: Should the East Coast Share Some New Cruise Ship Love with the West Coast?[/READMORE]
For a time, there was a shortage of San Diegan cruise calls due to the downturn in Mexican Rivera sailings, but things are starting to pick back up again.
Holland America Line most frequents America's Finest City, but so too do Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and others.
With a greater focus on the port's overall image and recent dramatic improvements to the area immediately surrounding the cruise terminal, San Diego may very well begin to show brightly on cruise lines' radars when considering additional future deployments.
Most ships now only pass by on their way to and from Alaska, but more may consider permanent options.
Carnival is building up its facilities in Long Beach, California, while Norwegian Cruise Line will briefly base its new Norwegian Bliss in Los Angeles during 2018. However, San Diego might now begin to lure some of that action its way.
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