In 1976, graphic designer Milton Glaser met with an ad agency to create a logo for their campaign. He presented his idea on a torn envelope, scribbled with red crayon while riding in a cab on the way to the meeting. This simple concept would go on to become a cultural phenomenon and global icon, solidifying New York City's status as a beloved metropolis.
He essentially used an emoji before emojis were a thing. When incorporating this ideogram (known as emojis) with NY, the abbreviation for New York, Glaser shortened the message to three letters and a symbol.
To be fair, people have used the heart shape for centuries, and it has its own interesting history.
But it was: The I ❤ NY logo ad campaign using a heart in place of the word love that started it all. The design, stacked the “I ❤” on top of the “NY”, which obviously was inspired by Robert Indiana’s famous LOVE sculpture. This turned the graphic into a classic: elegant in its simplicity, yet unpretentiously earnest. It works at sizes large and small. It works on a black background as well as white. It also worked for the city.
