| We've all seen "I Love New York" t-shirts, mugs, | | | | tapped the design talent of Milton Glaser, a |
| posters, and other branded products, but few people | | | | well-regarded designer. |
| know just where they came from, and even those | | | | Surprisingly, Glaser didn't think the job was a big deal. |
| who do are missing some of the trivia surrounding | | | | Unable to envision the fact that, decades later, I |
| the slogan. The slogan is old enough that most | | | | Love New York t-shirts would be ubiquitous across |
| people can glance at I Love New York t-shirts | | | | the country, Glaser whipped up the new logo for |
| without wondering just where the brand came from, | | | | free. Glaser had plenty of reasons to stay busy: in |
| but at the same time it looks modern enough that | | | | addition to being a successful, independent designer, |
| we know it can't be more than a few decades old. | | | | Glaser had cofounded the popular New York |
| This intuition about the vintage of I Love New York | | | | Magazine, and was involved in work both locally and |
| t-shirts is correct. The origin of the design was in | | | | internationally. |
| 1977: the Deputy Commissioner of the New York | | | | Soon after the first I Love New York t-shirts were |
| State Department of Commerce, William S. Doyle, | | | | printed, Doyle, Wells Rich Greene, and New York |
| knew that New York had incredible potential to | | | | itself knew they had a hit on their hands. Although |
| attract tourists. At the same time, he was aware | | | | the ad campaign was meant to be one of many |
| that many tourists didn't bother to visit the city -- | | | | temporary attempts to juice tourist revenue for the |
| some were worried about crime, or annoyed by high | | | | city, it was a surprisingly long-lived campaign. The |
| prices, but most simply never thought to go there. | | | | ease with which people could copy the design |
| He needed a slogan that would not convince people | | | | (occasionally replacing the American Typewriter font |
| that it was a good city to visit -- he needed a slogan | | | | with the more common Courier) meant that the |
| that would take the millions of people who were | | | | design was often referenced and even parodied. |
| already convinced, and catalyze their decision to | | | | Even so, the vast majority of observers were only |
| make the trip. | | | | reminded that I Love New York t-shirts are the |
| The story of I Love New York t-shirts takes an | | | | original. |
| interesting turn after that: Doyle hired an advertising | | | | Surprisingly, the I Love New York t-shirts don't just |
| agency, Wells Rich Greene, to create a new tourism | | | | refer to the city. Doyle worked for the state, and |
| campaign. This was a fairly conventional move: New | | | | the campaign was designed for the entire state. But |
| York has long been a center for the advertising | | | | as most wearers of I Love New York t-shirts are |
| business, and many large, reputable advertising | | | | aware, it's a design that reminds people almost |
| agencies were and are headquartered in the city. But | | | | exclusively of the city. |
| then Doyle did something a little less conventional: he | | | | |