I Heart NY

I know it always seems like a surprise statement coming from a Bostonian, but I'm one Boston girl who actually does love New York City (and New York State which is, after all, what the logo represents). Having spent a recent long (but still too short) weekend in The City, all I can say is: there's no place quite like it.

And if there's another tourism brand/logo/campaign - whatever you want to call it - that has been more enduring, and is more recognizable (and imitated), than "I Love New York"?

Just look at it.

A simple statement, a simple font, a simple color combination.

Brilliant!

I think of all those companies in the 90's who went with the then- popular teal and purple look. Or those who come up with an over-designed, unreadable font. Or some "snappy" message that conveys nothing.

Only to throw it out a few years/months/weeks later.

This one's been around for 30 years. It was designed by Milton Glaser who, well into his seventies, is still going strong. (And, by the way, according to Wikipedia, Glaser did this work pro bono.)

When, as marketers, we find ourselves moving down the path of originality for the sake of originality, down the path of tricky, cute, and "more unique," hold up for a moment and meditate for a New York minute on I♥NY.

Brilliant. Simply brilliant.