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The I love NY logo is so ubiquitous in New York today that it feels hard to imagine it actually being designed. Surely it has always been there, offering New Yorkers and tourists the chance to proclaim their love for the city? In fact, the symbol was born in the mid-70s as part of an advertising campaign commissioned by New York State to increase tourism and also raise the spirits of the residents of New York during a particularly difficult period in the state's history, when crime rates in New York City were at an all time high and the state was close to bankruptcy. To help counteract this dire image, an advertising agency, Wells Rich Greene, came up with a marketing campaign that was centred on the slogan I Love New York. The campaign needed a logo, so William S Doyle, then deputy commissioner of commerce for New York State, approached renowned designer Milton Glaser.
Glaser had already found fame for work he'd...