The iconic logo with which the City of NY was identified from other destinations in the world, which expressed “I Love New York” (I love New York), was modified a few days ago and the decision did not have the expected impact. Many comments against on social networks became viral.
The previous logo created by Milton Glaser in 1977, which he drew on a napkin while traveling in a taxi through the streets of this imposing city; now it was replaced. The mayor of NY, Eric Adams, and the State Governor, Kathy Hochul, will unveil their new advertising campaign with a reinvention of the famous logo. Now the city will be dressed in the logo that expresses: “We Love (heart emoji) NYC”.
This modification is part of a campaign to reactivate tourism after the pandemic. Despite their attempts to position this logo and have it receive the same acceptance as the one created by Glaser, they failed to get it accepted and for the New Yorker to feel identified.
“It is literally the worst design I have ever seen in my life”, sentenced a Twitter user, where memes multiplied. “If there’s going to be a riot in New York, it’s going to be because of this,” another wrote, “Don’t mess with perfection,” another tweeted alongside an image of the original logo.
Glaser himself had already intervened the classic logo after the attacks of 11-S of 2001 against the Twin Towers. At that time, the logo read: “I Love NY more than ever” (I love NY more than ever). Additionally, in August 2021, former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s City Council hosted We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, a mega-musical event in Central Park to bid farewell to the pandemic; At that time, no one spoke against it because they understood that it was only for that show.
However, in recent days, seeing that the city is already beginning to wear the new logo, many New Yorkers and tourists have been dissatisfied and left it reflected on social networks.
Steven Heller, graphic designer for 30 years for The New York Times, critic and university professor, is one of them. “The new logo is a poor imitation that lacks the nuance and freshness of the original. The heart is more of a cliché emoji than sincere,” he said.
