The Port of Tacoma has released a new logo….finally.

The old logo, shown here, is patriotic, complete with stars, and the red, white and blue. But something about the blocky typeface, reminds me too much of a crate that has a stamp of approval on it stating: “Made in China.”   Additionally, while many of the exports/imports come from all over the world into this Port, the new logo has a much more gentle feel. 

The new logo, still signifies patriotism, with red white and blue, but the colors are toned down.  The lettering is still a san-serif typeface, but instead of big, blocky, capital letters, the taller letters and lower-case letters welcome you in, along with the tagline: “People. Partnership. Performance.”  Nice use of alliteration too.  

The one graphic in the logo however, leaves me on the fence.  In a brochure that talks about the port’s new focus, they explain, “The arcs and connection points of our new logo symbolize our refocused mission to deliver prosperity by connecting customers, cargo and community with the world.”   I like the simplicity and the idea of connections.  However, and I believe this was intentional, the image of a smoke stack from an old coal ship comes to mind i.e. pollution.  More about the Port’s position in The News Tribune here. 

With a few extra black lines, suddenly we are far away from the clean feel of the logo. This less abstract image reminds us of the environmental impact the the port has.  Regardless, I think this new logo is a giant leap in the right direction of bringing Tacoma and the Port of Tacoma up to new standards.

Find out more about the Port of Tacoma on their website.