Stockton has a new logo — "Stockton" in artfully quirky typography — and a new slogan: “Stockton: Stocked Full of Flavor.”

Let the commenting begin. Or the eye rolling.

“It’s memorable, it’s bold, it’s creative,” said Wes Rhea, CEO of Visit Stockton.

Rhea’s outfit paid Nashville “destination branding firm” North Star $80,000 to cook up the new brand and an underlying marketing strategy to lure visitors and conventions.

A new logo (technically called a “brand mark;” the slogan beneath it is a “strapline”) seemed necessary for post-bankrupt Stockton, Rhea said.

“There’s obviously a fiscal and government rebirth in the city,” he said. “At the same time we thought there ought to be a rebranding or market rebirth, too.”

Another reason: the City of Stockton’s last branding venture, “Stockton: Celebrate!” — was a costly exercise in wishful thinking.

The Great Recession: Celebrate! Bankruptcy: Celebrate! The bank foreclosed on my subprime loan: Celebrate! I’m staying at the Red Roof Inn: Celebrate!

Etcetera. It didn’t fly.

The city and business donors paid for the confetti-stuffed “Celebrate!” turkey; Visit Stockton paid for the new brand out of an assessment hoteliers charge themselves.

It’s not our money: Celebrate!

North Star, a top-notch firm, sent pros here. Over 10 months they interviewed locals. They held focus groups. They surveyed residents of Sacramento, San Jose and L.A. to test perceptions of Stockton. A very professional job.

As usual, Stocktonians blasted Stockton.

“Cities are all hard on themselves,” Rhea said. “We are just harder on ourselves. A lot harder than the norm.”

Because our government (until the bankruptcy) and other failed institutions, as well as our economy, are far worse than the norm, valid reasons for complaint. Thanks for asking.

North Star came up with several brand marks. A panel of locals chose one in which the two “t-o” letter combinations found in “Stockton” are cleverly turned on their sides.

That was the boldest one, applauded Ed Barlow, North Star’s Vice President of Strategic Planning.

“You don’t usually find a word that has that sort of ability in the name, the same two letters, and being able to flip them in different ways,” Barlow said. “That’s very unique to Stockton.”

It would make for a cool T-shirt. Unlike many brand marks, however, ours has no accompanying symbol such as Apple’s apple. Why not?

“We looked at everything from sailboat — one had a dog in it for some reason — sun, waves, every subdivision-like, palatable, everybody-loves-’em logo,” Rhea said.

But none fit. The logo is eye-catching and memorable without one. It’s offbeat and unique and there’s a lot going on in it. Which accurately represents Stockton.

As for the strapline, or slogan, this is where I usually reach for the barf bag. This is where the scruffy city says there are unicorns here and other give-me-a-break baloney.

Not this time. Say what you will about “Stocked Full of Flavor,” they kept it real.

“‘Flavor’ could be the flavor of the people,” Rhea said. “The flavor of the food. The flavor of the arts. The flavor of agriculture.”

The City of Stockton, which participated in the branding process, is free to use the “logo and line” when vying to attract employers or in other efforts, Rhea said.

I have long argued that the key to improving Stockton’s image is improving Stockton.

That said, Visit Stockton has a job to do. This’ll help them do it, Rhea said.

“I don’t think this will solve any of our problems,” Rhea said. “Will it allow us to be more visible because we have a new brand? Yes.”

— Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 or michaelf@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/fitzgeraldblog and on Twitter@Stocktonopolis.