Branding Package
Great Lakes Ports Collective
Background
The Great Lakes Ports Collective (GLPC) is an organization which advocates passenger cruising on the Great Lakes. It represents the publicly owned assets and is comprised of American & Canadian Port Cities and towns, various significant Port Authorities, several U.S. States, the Canadian Province of Ontario and the St Lawrence Seaway.
The GLPC represents an industry that will be heavily affected by the current pandemic situation. Ship-based recreation will require some restructuring in general, but it will also need to demonstrate to the public that its systems have been updated. Like any industry, there will be a definitive “before quarantine” and “after quarantine” attitude. A new visual identity could act as a clear identifier that the GLPC has taken events into consideration and is operating using new regulations and precautions.
Project objectives
For this project I will create a branding package consisting of two logo options with three different applications. It will be summarized for the client in a slideshow presentation demonstrating the research, development, and application of the logos. I am currently prepared to work on this project solo, although I am willing and able to be joined with a team if that is appropriate.
Target audience
The GLPC audience is generally between 40 and 90 years of age, with wealth to afford the boating lifestyle, which can be expensive. They may own vessels themselves. These initial factors can help direct any visual identity design. The audience is clearly familiar with boating, and therefore could respond to imagery from hundreds of years of naval tradition.
Rationale
The design takes the form of a black uniform contrast line art image of a ship’s porthole. This shape of window has been used in ship designs for centuries. Modern vessels stray from the perfect circle design, often using rectangular or oval windows. The classic circle still remains popular and is used in new ships as well. Despite its old-fashioned form, the porthole window continues to be a recognizable image in boating.
Portholes are not found on small boats, sailboats, or fishing boats. The icon refers only to larger boats that feature sleeping cabins.
Portholes are also windows. A window begs a viewer to peer through and see what is on the other side. A window on a ship can present the viewer with any number of scenes. Maybe the viewer sees a familiar vacation spot. Perhaps they see open water. They could see the welcome of their hometown. The porthole stands for both adventure and comfort.
The icon of the porthole can be filled with anything. In this case, it is filled with a simple representation of two port towns on the great lakes. Using this art style, the circle can be adapted to represent any of the ports in the GLPC. Each is slightly different, but the style remains consistent, indicating the teamwork and cohesion of the collective.
