New York has “woven [itself] into the fabric of the city’s identity,” capturing the qualities of the city that make it a “chic, cool, exciting metropolis” (mcny). Glaser originally designed the logo (Fig. 9) in 1977, a time in which NYC was struggling on the verge of bankruptcy and with high levels of crime. The logo was commissioned by the New York State Department of Commerce to “promote tourism and shine a more positive light on the city and the state as a whole.” The design is simple: a carefully chosen, capital Fig 9. I [heart] NY, 1977, Glaser ized, black typeface, with the word “love” replaced by a red heart. It was one of the “first instances” a symbol replaced a word, a “design element [that] has [since] been imitated across industries and designs” (Design Rush). Compared to this cutting-edge aesthetic choice, the logo’s slab serif font, “American Typewriter,” invoked a mood of nostalgia at a time in which cleaner, sans serif fonts were fashionable. Glaser stacked “I [heart]” over “NY” and limited the color palate, which made for a logo that was “easily transferrable across mediums […] and platforms”– from hats and t-shirts to brochures and billboards (Design Rush). The logo soon spread throughout the city and remains iconic to this day. Glaser thus fulfills the key “First Things First” principle that designers should commit themselves to the “more useful and more lasting forms of communication.” The logo does more than “sell” the city and state. Its greater substance was especially apparent after the September 11 attacks when it became a symbol of hope and strength. Glaser modified his design (Fig. 10), stacking the words “MORE THAN EVER” below the original logo, and adding a black smudge to the heart to symbolize the World Trade Center. 93
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