(Photos courtesy King County Department of Transportation)

1:21 PM: As noted earlier, today marks the start of the all-day, 7-days-a-week schedule for the West Seattle Water Taxi. And it marks the debut of the new Water Taxi system logo on MV Doc Maynard. We first told you on April 1st about the impending rebranding of the Water Taxi, after it appeared on at least one shuttle bus. At the time, King County was planning an announcement for last Monday, but it was postponed until today. We’ve just received photos and background info from KC Department of Transportation spokesperson Scott Gutierrez:

The Doc Maynard is now sporting the new Water Taxi logo.

The Water Taxi program logo was carefully thought out to be simple, unique and bold. It is designed in a manner that depicts the shape of the Water Taxi vessel. The logo features various elements that are signature to our service:

· Sun and Water – the program brand mark is a conceptual, dual-purpose graphic depicting the Water Taxi and the sun over water. It represents speed, reliability and the Seattle waterscape.

· Speed and Agility – the sleek flavor reflects the design of the Water Taxi’s two catamarans, the MV Sally Fox and MV Doc Maynard.

· Landscape – a reflection of the rider experience on the Water Taxi, whether the destination is Downtown Seattle, West Seattle or Vashon Island.

Last winter, King County DOT — led by graphic designer Amy Sanders — developed new branding for the Water Taxi. This entirely in-house effort — buoyed by support from talented Metro and Department of Natural Resource and Parks graphic designers — showcases a new logo and program mark. The Water Taxi saved some $35,000 by not hiring a consultant and instead relying on in-house talent to develop and design the new branding.

Riders will also notice new branding on the Water Taxi’s printed schedules and website. Riders will begin seeing the new look on the uniforms of our dedicated crew members later this month.

We have a followup question out on what the total cost was/will be, with the savings mentioned above – as noted in our April 1st report, this year’s county budget had included $144,000 for the first rebranding since 2009, when the Water Taxi was part of a no-longer-separate KC Ferry District.

7:06 PM: Gutierrez says the cost breakdown should be available tomorrow. He adds that the Vashon Water Taxi vessel, MV Sally Fox, is expected to get the “rebranding” look next weekend, weather permitting.

ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: As promised, the cost info, from spokesperson Gutierrez:

The actual cost is about $50,000 for the vessel and shuttle rebranding, marketing materials, uniforms, and facility signage. That is below the total $144,000 that Marine Division was budgeted for rebranding over the biennium. We estimate saving about $35,000 alone by not hiring outside consultants and designers, and instead relying on in-house employees to develop and design the new branding. Other savings were mostly a result of the vessel work (vinyl decal/wrapping) and new uniforms coming in below budget.