Three weeks ago I was wandering around the streets of Manhattan in awe at the scale and grandeur of everything. Before I went I was told how The City of New York was the ‘greatest city in the world’ and it did not disappoint.

I’d wanted to visit since I was a child, having been fascinated by the promise of tall buildings, a Concorde flight (at the time), the Statue of Liberty and my discovery of the ‘I Love New York t-shirt logo’ as I called it then.

Although many may be familiar with the history behind New York’s main icons such as the Empire State building and the Statue of Liberty, very few know the story behind the I Love New York logo.

Allow me to enlighten you:

The logo (pictured on my t-shirt above) was designed in 1977 by graphic designer Milton Glaser originally as part of a marketing campaign for New York State, commissioned by William S. Doyle. Glaser created the logo for free, expecting it to only last the few months of the short campaign, but the logo fast became an icon and a direct association with New York City.

The logo continues to be used by the Official New York State Tourism board and can be found on numerous merchandise, much of which remains unofficial.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, Glaser modified the logo as a sign of respect to read ‘I Love New York More Than Ever’, placing a black mark on the lower left of the heart to symbolise the approximate location of World Trade Center site on Manhattan Island.

So if you ever go to New York, make sure you grab a piece of history on a t-shirt and show that you ? New York too.