Official City of San Diego Seal/Corporate Identity

The official seal of the City of San Diego was adopted by the City Council on April 14, 1914, and superseded a design that had been in use since Jan. 5, 1888.

• The pillars of Hercules are used as supporters to recall the ancient territorial jurisdiction of Spain.
• The winged wheel represents manufacturing and transportation.
• The two connected dolphins symbolize the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, inseparably united by the Panama Canal.
• The motto, "Semper Vigilans," means "ever vigilant."
• The orange tree represents agriculture
• The Spanish caravel represents the exploration and settlement by the Spanish.
• The blue wavy band below it represents the city's position on the sea.
• The mission or carmelite belfry suggests early settlement by the mission fathers.
• In 1997, a blue bar was added behind the seal and the words "The City of San Diego" included below the seal. This is now the City's official corporate identity.