Stephen Bloom’s passion for ocean liners started as a child, after reading about the maiden voyage of another famous vessel, the Titanic. Bloom’s parents had traveled on board the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), and Stephen had cruised on the SS Norway (formerly the SS France). Fascinated with ships, Stephen Bloom’s first interaction with the SS United States came when he built a model of the Blue Riband holder during his youth.
After a successful 30-year career as art-director for a local news affiliate in Arizona, Bloom uses his talents to help organizations create inspiring and exciting logos and other designs. Like others, he heard about the Conservancy’s contest through our social media platforms, and jumped at the chance to marry his passion for art and design with his passion for historic ocean liners.
Asked about his design, Stephen said he started with the basics, “She is a cool looking ship.” He also noted that he wanted the design to be an homage to both the ship, and her famous designer, William Francis Gibbs. Inspired by the photos he’s seen of Gibbs watching his beloved ocean liner, Stephen felt it was uniquely important to portray both the iconic look of the ship, while also giving prominent positions to the man who made it his mission to recapture the Blue Riband. Stephen noted that the ship’s signature mid-century modern design was “modern when modern was new.”
Stephen shared that his wish for the ship is to see it returned to a state of beauty, and while he knows she won’t ever sail the seas again, he hopes that she will remind people about the importance of national pride and serve as a monument to what our nation can accomplish.
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Limited-edition t-shirts featuring the contest winning design can be ordered by visiting: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/maiden-voyage-70th-anniversary-t-shirt.