By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on February 27, 2010 11:30 AM
Do you love New York? Or, rather, do you (heart) New York? The creator of the iconic New York logo, Milton Glaser, has just been awarded the National Medal of Honor by President Obama.
Glaser created the logo in 1977 pro bono for advertising agency Wells, Rich, Greene. The agency had been hired by New York State's Department of Commerce to develop a marketing strategy for New York. Glaser is quoted as saying that he thought the image would be used briefly, and then disappear. Now, the image is so familiar it can be seen pretty much everywhere in the city, everyday. It has also spawned pretty much an entire industry of other "I (heart)---" logos.
Glaser is also known for founding “New York” magazine, along with Clay Felker, in 1968, as well as creating the “DC Bullet” logo used by DC Comics for almost 30 years. He also designed the “Brooklyn Brewery” logo, a graphic black, green, white and yellow image that can be seen hanging in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; as well as a striking, near-psychedelic profile of Bob Dylan for a poster.
The “I (heart) NY” logo is set in a typeface called American Typewriter. It is still used to promote tourism in New York. Although the image was intended to promote New York State as a whole, it is now thought of largely as a tribute to New York City, and the image on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and mugs is ubiquitous. It was widely used after the September 11 attacks in 2001 to rally support for New York City.
