Milton Glaser on the popularity of his I (heart) NY logo:
"I don’t know how that happened."
"I wish it would stop following me."
In 1977, the state of New York commissioned the now-defunct but then top-of-the-world Madison Avenue ad agency Wells, Rich, Greene with a campaign to rejuvenate New York City’s reputation. The slogan itself was conceived by PR consultant Bobby Zaren; the campaign by Charlie Hans (although Mary Wells has also taken credit for creating it). The logo - said to be the most frequently imitated logo design in history - was designed by Milton Glaser, who does not want it engraved on his tombstone, thank you very much.
MOMA design curator Paola Antonelli doesn't think that Glaser will ever shake the stubborn symbol. "The I (love) NY logo could be the only thing he'd ever done," she says, "and he would still be a genius."
Info from:
- www.miltonglaserposters.com
- Century Makers, Hillman and Gibbs (1988)
- State of New York, http://iloveny.state.ny.us/