New York reimagines Milton Glaser’s ‘I ♥ NY’ campaign for post-pandemic NYC
All images courtesy of WeLoveNYC
New York officials announced a new campaign using an adaptation of Milton Glaser’s iconic “I ♥ NY” slogan. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams on Monday kicked off the new “We ♥ NYC” campaign, aimed to “inspire optimism and civic action” among New Yorkers post-pandemic.
“This city overcame the darkest days of the pandemic because of the selfless work of everyday New Yorkers, and if each of us gives just one hour a week in an act of service, the result will be transformative,” Adams said.
“That is why I am proud to announce the launch of ‘We ❤ NYC,’ in partnership with Governor Hochul, and the Partnership for New York City. The ‘We ❤ New York City’ campaign asks everyone who loves the greatest city in the world to show it by lending a helping hand and spreading that love to every block across all five boroughs.”
“We ♥ NYC” will begin with a celebration of New Yorkers who have made a difference by serving their community and will share volunteer opportunities with New Yorkers interested in participating.
Part of the campaign includes “Spread Love NYC,” a nine-month-long initiative led by NYC Service that engages New Yorkers with short-term and long-term volunteer opportunities.
The campaign is being led by the Partnership for New York City, a collection of NYC corporations and business executives.
During the pandemic, the Partnership conducted surveys with New Yorkers and gathered their opinions on whether or not they believed the city was heading in the right direction. In the most recent survey, 67 percent of participants believed the city was going in the wrong direction, with 70 percent of participants aged between 18 and 40 saying they wanted to volunteer to help improve it.
“We want to remind them they can make a difference, whether it’s on the block or in the city as a whole, Kathryn Wylde, president and chief executive of the Partnership for NYC told the New York Times.
“We want to remind them we don’t have to maintain these divisions that have grown up between business and labor and rich and poor.”
As part of the campaign, the Partnership has collaborated with city agencies to host a variety of volunteering events. On Earth Day, NYC Parks will host a number of events to get New Yorkers to care for their local parks, and the NYC Department of Sanitation will host community cleanups across the five boroughs.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will launch “MUSIC Under New York,” a system of live-streaming auditions by prospective subway performers and giving New Yorkers the ability to vote on which get authorized to play in the subway system.
The “I ♥ NY” logo was created in the 1970s by Glaser as part of a campaign to boost the city’s tourism amidst a period of crime and racial tensions. The original sketch Glaser made with a red crayon in the back of a taxi is currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art. The logo is owned by the state’s Department of Economic Development.
In 2018, when city and state officials were pitching Long Island City as the home for Amazon’s new headquarters, they offered to swap out the iconic logo’s heart for Amazon’s arrow smile, as 6sqft reported at the time.
“Outside of copyrighting everything you do, there is almost no way of protecting your work from being imitated,” Glaser said in a 2018 statement about the proposed Amazon logo to Fast Company. “In this particular case, the Amazon logo is not very harmonious with the rest of the logo.”
After New York Times journalist Emma G. Fitzsimmons tweeted out a photo of the reimagined logo on Monday, New Yorkers took to Twitter with their reactions.
My intro to graphic design professor in college would have absolutely dunked on the student that tried to submit this for a grade https://t.co/DXnigr3uop
— Rebecca C. Lewis (@_rebeccaclewis) March 20, 2023
Why is the heart larger and at a preposterous angle away from the text?
Besides the sheer ineffectiveness of it all as a messaging tool, it’s just baffling design all-around.
— Kevin Kostka (@mpbx3003) March 20, 2023
Fixed it. #welovenyc pic.twitter.com/Ct2MsLXA27
— Ridge Road Media (@ridgeroadmedia) March 20, 2023
This is literally the worst design I’ve ever, ever seen
— Dewey Bryan Saunders (@DeweySaunders) March 20, 2023
Can we please let Milton Glaser rest in the peace he deserves?
— Rafael Shimunov (@rafaelshimunov) March 20, 2023
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