Street Plans is partnering with the Port of San Francisco to activate the Big Art Loop – Portside, a walkable, bikeable trail of monumental temporary sculptures transforming San Francisco’s Embarcadero waterfront into an open-air gallery. Funded through a Port of San Francisco grant, Street Plans’ scope centers on the placemaking and marketing elements that make the new art trail a branded activation, inviting people of all ages to walk and discover the waterfront and its art.
Street Plans first advised the Port on an initial branding exercise, to help the Port develop a dedicated name and brand for the Portside trail segment. From there, Street Plans partnered with the Downtown SF Partnership (DSFP), to develop a dedicated web page for Big Art Loop – Portside, writing copy and graphics and coordinating a custom map with DSFP for the page’s launch.
Next, Street Plans designed and implemented a series of physical elements, including a network of non-slip ground stickers to provide trail information at each sculpture site, a branded handout map and a merchandise portfolio including hats, stickers, and vests to outfit program partners with a consistent look along the trail.
As a compliment to the physical placemaking elements, Street Plans developed a multifaceted programming plan for the trail. The first phase of programming included a handful of pilot events with local nonprofits, tied to new sculpture openings and community milestones. Phase 2 centered on the development of the Waterfront Walkabout, a signature monthly evening art-stroll series pairing live music, food and drink specials, and interactive pop-ups along the trail. Street Plans created the event strategy and also produced a toolkit of graphics and social media assets to support event marketing.
In our next phase of work, Street Plans will support the Port in implementing murals along the trail and will produce an impact report for the program, helping the Port tell the story of the placemaking work and make the case for further investment in the trail over time.
