View source for I Love New York

{{Short description|Slogan and song promoting New York state}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2025}} 
{{Infobox brand
|name = I Love New York
|logo = I Love New York.svg
|logo_alt = The logo consists of the capital letter I, followed by a red heart symbol, below which are the capital letters N and Y, set in the rounded slab serif typeface American Typewriter.
|currentowner = [[Empire State Development Corporation|NY Department of Economic Development]]
|country = [[United States]]
|introduced = {{Start date|1977|07|15}}
|trademarkregistrations = [https://trademarks.justia.com/737/58/i-ny-73758742.html 73758742]
|website = {{URL|http://www.iloveny.com/}}
|producedby = New York State Department of Commerce / [[Milton Glaser]] (designer)
}}

'''I Love New York''' (stylized {{nowrap|1='''I {{red|❤}} NY'''}}) is a [[slogan]], a [[logo]], and a [[song]] that are the basis of an advertising campaign developed by the marketing firm Wells, Rich, and Greene under the directorship of [[Mary Wells Lawrence]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Swanda |first1=Jessica |date=April 21, 2018 |title=Famous Advertisers in History: Mary Wells Lawrence |url=https://jessicaswanda.medium.com/famous-advertisers-in-history-mary-wells-lawrence-bda30ec78d75 |access-date=15 August 2021 |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815120447/https://jessicaswanda.medium.com/famous-advertisers-in-history-mary-wells-lawrence-bda30ec78d75 |url-status=live }}</ref> used since 1977 to promote [[tourism]] in the state of [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/emblems/iluvny.htm |title=I Love New York Logo |website=New York State Library - New York State Education Department |access-date=2017-12-18 |archive-date=2015-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906091226/http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/emblems/iluvny.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=An Interview with Milton Glaser |last=Kidd |first=Chip |website=Believer Magazine |date=1 September 2003 |url=https://believermag.com/an-interview-with-milton-glaser/ |access-date=19 May 2021 |archive-date=19 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519163550/https://believermag.com/an-interview-with-milton-glaser/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[service mark]]ed logo, owned by the [[Empire State Development Corporation|New York State Department of Economic Development]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wgrz.com/news/i-love-ny-products-contracted-to-companies-by-nys-are-made-overseas/114712437|title='I Love NY' products, contracted to companies by NYS, are made overseas|publisher=[[WGRZ]]|date=April 1, 2016|access-date=October 15, 2016|quote=The logo, according to products it's printed on, is the service mark of the state Department of Economic Development.|archive-date=July 2, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200702035533/https://www.wgrz.com/mobile/article/news/i-love-ny-products-contracted-to-companies-by-nys-are-made-overseas/114712437|url-status=dead}}</ref> appears in souvenir shops and brochures throughout the state, some licensed, many not.

"I Love New York" is the official state slogan of New York.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/STL/88 |title=Consolidated Laws, Article 6, Section 88 |access-date=2020-03-31 |archive-date=2020-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710171350/https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/STL/88 |url-status=live }}</ref> The logo was designed by graphic designer [[Milton Glaser]] in 1976 in the back of a taxi and was drawn with red crayon on scrap paper.<ref>Recently, researchers of the Visual Arts Department at UCSD suggested a possible reference for the creation of this logo. According to them, Conrado Martinez—an architect from Santa Barbara, California—created a similar image (1931) to show his respect and love for Oaxaca City (Mexico), destroyed because of an earthquake. Interestingly, as happened in NY, after the earthquake, Oaxaca started a process of reorganization of the users and the uses of the space, which later, in the '90s, culminated in a radical gentrification process.</ref> The original drawing is held in the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in Manhattan. The song was written by [[Steve Karmen]] and its copyright was donated by him to the state.

==Logo==
The logo consists of the capital letter ''[[I]]'', followed by a red [[heart (symbol)|heart symbol]] ({{red|❤}}), below which are the capital letters ''[[N]]'' and ''[[Y]]'', set in the rounded [[slab serif]] [[typeface]] [[American Typewriter]].<ref name=CH/>

In 1976, William S. Doyle, Deputy Commissioner of the [[New York State Department of Commerce]] hired advertising agency [[Mary Wells Lawrence|Wells Rich Greene]] to develop a [[marketing]] campaign for the State of New York. Doyle also recruited [[Milton Glaser]], a productive [[graphic designer]] to work on the campaign and create a design based on Wells Rich Greene's advertising campaign. Glaser's initial sketch to accompany the agency's "I Love New York" slogan was conceived in a taxi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buytshirtsonline.co.uk/blog/2015/03/the-story-behind-i-heart-new-york/|title=The Story Behind I Heart New York|work=Buy T-Shirts Online|date=March 19, 2015}}</ref> It comprised the letter I and a heart shape, followed by NY, all on the same line. As the idea developed, he decided to stack the I and the heart shape on a line above the NY characters, later stating that he may have been "subliminally" influenced by Robert Indiana's ''[[Love (sculpture)|LOVE]]'' pop art image.<ref name="Sooke">{{cite web|last=Sooke|first=Alastair|date=February 7, 2011|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/8303867/Milton-Glaser-his-heart-was-in-the-right-place.html|title=Milton Glaser: his heart was in the right place|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=July 8, 2015|archive-date=September 14, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914062420/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/8303867/Milton-Glaser-his-heart-was-in-the-right-place.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Glaser expected the campaign to last only a couple months and did the work [[pro bono]].<ref name=CH/> The innovative [[Pop Art|pop-style]] icon became a major success and has continued to be sold for years. In the popular mind (though this was not the original intention), the logo has become closely associated with New York City, and the placement of the logo on plain white T-shirts readily sold in the city has widely circulated the appearance of the image, making it a commonly recognized symbol. Glaser's original concept sketch and presentation boards were donated by Doyle to the permanent collection of the [[Museum of Modern Art]], New York.<ref name="Sooke"/> The logo and Glaser's sketch are included in MoMA's 2025 exhibition ''[[Pirouette: Turning Points in Design]],'' a collection of "widely recognized design icons [...] highlighting pivotal moments in design history," such as the [[Bean bag chair|Bean Bag]] chair, the [[Walkman|Sony Walkman]] portable cassette player, and the [[NASA insignia#Worm|NASA ''Worm'' insignia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pirouette: Turning Points in Design {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5756 |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=[[The Museum of Modern Art]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Northon |first=Karen |date=2025-01-23 |title=NASA Worm as Art, Museum of Modern Art Opens Exhibition Featuring NASA Worm |url=https://www.nasa.gov/get-involved/art-program/museum-of-modern-art-exhibits-nasa-worm/ |access-date=2025-07-06 |website=[[NASA]]}}</ref><ref>[https://press.moma.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MoMA_Pirouette-Viewing-Checklist_Final.pdf Pirouette: Turning Points in Design]</ref>

The image became especially prominent following the [[September 11 attacks]] on the city, which created a sense of unity among the populace. Many visitors to the city following the attacks purchased and wore the shirts bearing the I Love New York logo as a sign of their support. Glaser created a modified version to commemorate the attacks, reading "I Love NY More Than Ever", with a little black spot on the heart symbolizing the [[World Trade Center site]].<ref name=CH>{{cite web|last=Lambert|first=Tiffany|title=A Heart in the Right Place|url=http://www.cooperhewitt.org/object-of-the-day/2013/09/11/heart-right-place|work=Object of the Day|publisher=Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum|access-date=September 11, 2013|date=September 11, 2013}}</ref> The black spot approximates the site's location on lower [[Manhattan]] Island. The poster was printed in the [[New York Daily News]] and was a fundraiser for New York charities supporting those affected by the attacks. Added text at the bottom encouraged people to "Be generous. Your city needs you. This poster is not for sale."<ref name=CH/>

==New York state anthem==
{{Infobox anthem
| prefix        = State
| country       = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| title         = "I Love New York"
| author        = [[Steve Karmen]]
| composer      = Steve Karmen
| lyrics_date   = 1977
| adopted       = 1980
| published     = 1977
| music_date    = 1977
| sound         = 
| sound_title   = 
}}

"I Love New York" was written and composed by [[Steve Karmen]] in 1977 as part of the advertising campaign. In 1980, Governor [[Hugh Carey]] declared it as New York's state anthem, although not officially enacted into law. In a move that was remarkable for Karmen, who is well known for retaining the publishing rights to his songs, he gave the rights to the song to the state for free.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wansley |first=Joy |date=October 27, 1980 |title=They Call Steve Karmen 'the Beethoven of Spot Sonatas'—Meaning He's King of TV Jingles |journal=[[People (magazine)|People]] |volume=14 |issue=17 |issn=0093-7673 |access-date=January 1, 2011 |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20077731,00.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055902/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20077731,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Karmen wrote a new verse for the song in 2020, during the height of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in New York City]] to emphasize the city's resilience.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-06|title=Steve Karmen's "I Love New York" Gets Inspirational Update|url=https://www.radio.com/wcbs880/articles/news/steve-karmens-i-love-new-york-gets-inspirational-update|access-date=2021-03-12|website=www.radio.com|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020154826/https://www.radio.com/wcbs880/articles/news/steve-karmens-i-love-new-york-gets-inspirational-update|url-status=live}}</ref>  However, it was never commercially recorded nor used.

=== Lyrics ===

Original 1977 lyrics:

{{poemquote|I love New York

(This is so exciting!)

I love New York

(And there's no place like it.)

I love New York

(This is so exciting!)

I love New York

(And there's no place like it.)

There isn't another like it
no matter where you go.
And nobody can compare it.
It's greater than place and show.
You know...
New York is special,
You know, New York is different!
'Cause there's no place else on earth quite like New York!}}

Additional verse written in 2020:

{{poemquote|Whenever we face a crisis
New Yorkers find a way
When everyone works together
New Heroes Everyday
New York is family
You know nothing beats family And we'll win this fight together
'Cause we're New York
That's why I Love New York}}

==Imitations==
[[File:Robin Williams.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Actor]] [[Robin Williams]] wearing a [[T-shirt]] with the logo translated into [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] as "I love ❤ New York", in 2003]]
[[File:Shanghai-Nanjing Lu-22-Love Shanghai-2012-gje.jpg|thumb|An I ❤️ SH sign in [[Shanghai|Shanghai, China]] in the style of "I love NY"]]
The logo has become a pop-culture icon, inspiring imitations in every corner of the globe. Merchandise proclaiming "I {{red|❤}} ..." can be found wherever tourists gather. Parodies, such as "I [[Spades (suit)|♠]] {{bracket|[[neutering|spayed]]
}} My Pets" or "I [[Clubs (suit)|♣]] {{bracket|[[seal hunting|club]]}} [[seal hunting|Seals]]", have also appeared.<ref>{{cite book|last=Byrne|first=Robert|title=1,911 Best Things Anybody Ever Said|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]]|location=New York |year=1988|isbn=0-449-90285-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/1911bestthingsan00byrn}}</ref> Facetious expressions beginning "I heart...", are based on a literal reading of the logo (e.g., the 2004 independent film ''[[I Heart Huckabees]]'' and the audio conglomerate [[iHeartMedia]]).

New York state government has repeatedly attempted to uphold its trademark; by 2005, the state had filed nearly 3,000 objections against imitators,<ref>{{cite web|last=Kirstin|first=Dorsch|title=New York Loves Its Trademark|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_29/c3943008_mz003.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050724012104/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_29/c3943008_mz003.htm |url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2005|work=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=July 18, 2005|access-date=July 28, 2011}}</ref> and 100 "trademark objections and cease-and-desist letters" were filed in 2012 alone.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Cup Is at the Heart of a Trademark Dispute|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/nyregion/new-york-challenges-a-coffee-shop-logo.html|date=May 29, 2013|author=Newman, Andy|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 30, 2013|archive-date=May 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530165349/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/nyregion/new-york-challenges-a-coffee-shop-logo.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Some objections have been ruled void, such as when a court concluded in 1980 that the producers of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' did not infringe on the copyrights of the "I Love New York" campaign with its "I Love [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodom]]" skit, ruling instead that it was a parody.<ref>{{cite web|title=Looking to Revive New York|url=http://gothamist.com/2007/02/12/looking_to_revi.php|website=Gothamist|date=February 12, 2007|last=Chung|first=Jen|access-date=February 13, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430224754/http://gothamist.com/2007/02/12/looking_to_revi.php|archive-date=April 30, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite law|title=Elsmere Music v. National Broadcasting Co.|date=June 9, 1980 |url=https://scholar.google.com.ph/scholar_case?case=17685233474069050250&hl=en&as_sdt=2&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr&sa=X&ei=inZUUP6bNYH5rQeN34H4Cw&ved=0CBwQgAMoATAA}}</ref>

[[File:We Love NYC.svg|thumb|Logo that appeared in October 2022{{Cn|reason=October 2022 or March 2023 as stated in the text?|date=April 2023}}]]

In March 2023, as part of a revitalisation campaign after the COVID-19 pandemic, the [[Partnership for New York City]] introduced "We ❤️ NYC", a "modern twist" on the logo designed by a team led by Graham Clifford, which was posted throughout the city.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://untappedcities.com/2023/03/21/we-love-nyc-logo/|title= NEW YORK'S 'I LOVE NY' LOGO GETS A MAKEOVER|work= Upptaped New York|date= 21 March 2023|access-date= 25 March 2023|archive-date= 25 March 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230325034754/https://untappedcities.com/2023/03/21/we-love-nyc-logo/|url-status= live}}</ref> The text changes the state abbreviation "NY" to the city abbreviation "NYC", and the pronoun from I to "we". The graphic uses a [[sans-serif]] font in [[all caps]], in which the heart symbol has [[shading]] and is larger and placed further off-center than in the "I {{red|❤}} NY" graphic. Media reported criticism of both the slogan as unoriginal and the design as inelegant.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stewart |first1=Dodai |title=These New Yorkers Don't ❤️ the 'We ❤️NYC' Logo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/nyregion/we-love-nyc-logo.html |access-date=25 March 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=21 March 2023 |archive-date=25 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325035236/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/nyregion/we-love-nyc-logo.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/21/we-heart-nyc-new-logo/|title=New Yorkers bond over new city logo: They hate it|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=2023-03-21|author=Natalie B. Compton|access-date=2023-03-25|archive-date=2023-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323130429/https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/03/21/we-heart-nyc-new-logo/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Gopnik |first1=Adam |title=The 'We❤️NYC' Logo Flop |magazine=The New Yorker |date=23 March 2023 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-we-heart-nyc-logo-flop |access-date=25 March 2023 |url-access=limited |archive-date=27 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927172604/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-we-heart-nyc-logo-flop |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan]]''{{spaced ndash}}horror film criticized for using the "I Love New York" logo
* [[Heart in Oregon]]
* [[Virginia Is for Lovers]]
* [[I Love L.A.]]
* [[I Love New York 355 at The Glen]]
* [[Love (image)]]
* [[Tourism in New York City]]
{{Portal bar|New York City|New York (state)|Visual arts}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/lukaszkulakowski/docs/8278452-i-love-new-york-brand-guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406201023/https://issuu.com/lukaszkulakowski/docs/8278452-i-love-new-york-brand-guide |archive-date=2019-04-06 |title=I Love New York Brand Guidelines |date=November 2008}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|I Love New York}}
* {{Official website|http://www.iloveny.com}}
* [http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/1751-i-sell-new-york The History of New York's Marketing Campaigns] from the ''[[Gotham Gazette]]''
* Museum of Modern Art Collection Browser
** [http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=128649 Milton Glaser I ♥ NY concept sketch 1976] 
** [http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=129088 Milton Glaser I ♥ NY concept layout 1976]

{{List of U.S. state songs}}

[[Category:1977 quotations]]
[[Category:American advertising slogans]]
[[Category:Logos]]
[[Category:Symbols of New York (state)]]
[[Category:Songs about New York (state)]]
[[Category:Tourism in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Cultural history of New York City]]
[[Category:Jingles]]
[[Category:Symbols introduced in 1977]]
[[Category:Tourism campaigns]]
[[Category:1977 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Heart symbols]]
[[Category:Works by Milton Glaser]]
[[Category:Collection of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City)]]