IAPH (International Association of Ports and Harbors) is a global alliance of ports headquartered in Tokyo, founded in 1955. IAPH aims to be the global trade association of choice for port authorities and operators, representing their interests at regulatory level at the International Maritime Organization, the World Customs Organization, the International Standards Organization and other global alliances such as the Global Maritime Forum and the World Economic Forum.
the challenge
Since 2015, IAPH has been in the process of refocusing to even better meet the needs of its various members within the industry, focusing on challenges that are crucial in the maritime world and far beyond. From this need to fulfil an enduring and guiding role, a repositioning and rebranding of the associated brands became imperative.
the insights
The maritime sector is a rapidly evolving industry that innovates step by step with regards to sustainability, communication and changing legislation. The needs of both commercial and politically associated members of IAPH are therefore evolving along with it, as are their motives for interacting with the brand and engaging within their membership of the organisation.
the solution
The team at Pavlov were engaged over a three-year period for what can best be described as a reverse rebranding process, which involved first providing a new identity for the sub-brands and later the parent brand IAPH. We started by developing a brand concept and identity for the World Ports Sustainability Program, an intiative empowering and rewarding sustainability initiatives in ports around the world. A rebranding process was then launched for World Ports Conference, IAPH’s annual maritime conference, which previously had a different logo each year depending on the preferences of the host port. Finally, the Ports & Harbors sub-brand, belonging to the monthly magazine, was also completely rebranded from scratch to provide an impetus for the eventual full redesign of this publication.
After the sub-brands, it was time to redesign the main IAPH brand in 2021. After an extensive round of studies and a strategic translation of the brand’s future vision, we developed, in close cooperation with the organisation’s board of directors, a logo that transforms the repositioning momentum into a solid identity with a clear nod to both the maritime future and the past of the iconic global brand. All brands and their complete identities were delivered in a clear brand manual that contains the guidelines for internal and external applications of the respective brands and the brand architecture between them.
I would certainly recommend Pavlov for any rebranding process, especially a complicated one, where a lot of vested interests are involved. The result is there, and we are very proud of it.
Dr. Patrick Verhoeven – managing director