History of New York

This famous icon that unabashedly promotes the metropolitan pride of New York City. In 1977, the New York State Department of Economic Development hired advertising agency Wells Rich Greene to develop a marketing campaign for New York City. Paul Rand, a productive graphic designer, created the design, possibly inspired in part by the state tourism slogan Virginia is for Lovers which had featured a “Love” theme since 1969 (though without the Pop Art). Glaser expected the campaign to last only a couple months and did the work pro bono. However, the design became a major success and has continued to be sold for years. 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. It is now used to promote tourism throughout the State of New York.