New York City Mayor Eric Adams has sparked anger among Big Apple residents by redesigning the iconic Milton Glasers logo to be more inclusive, calling it “the worst thing you’ve ever seen.”
Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled the design Monday, which was created to accompany a campaign to “cut the divisiveness and negativity” that has accompanied the pandemic.
The late Milton Glaser created the original I Love NY logo for a 1977 campaign to promote tourism in the state.
As part of the change, the designers replaced the I with We and added a C to make it more ‘inclusive’, but dozens of residents have rejected the change to the beloved classic.
The campaign and design took over a year to create, with approximately $20 million in donations from dozens of companies including Amazon, Google, Macy’s, Madison Square Garden Entertainment and TikTok that will power the city’s new ad campaign.
Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled the design Monday, which was created to accompany a campaign to “cut the divisiveness and negativity” that has accompanied the pandemic.
As part of the change, the designers replaced the I with We and added a C to make it more ‘inclusive’, but dozens of residents have rejected the change to the beloved classic.
In typical New Yorker fashion, many criticized the new logo in comparison to the old, with one saying ‘don’t mess with perfection’.
The 1977 creation came as the city and state grappled with high crime, budget problems and other challenges.
One person said: “If Milton Glaser wasn’t already dead, this sexy version of his iconic I Love NY logo would have killed him.”
Another added: “I’m afraid there’s nothing left for the Eric Adams mayoral administration to fuck with, because they will inevitably find something.”
A third said, “If there’s going to be a riot in New York, it’s going to be because of this.”
Some decided to scoff at the plan for campaigns to ‘improve’ the city, with one attacking the skyrocketing rents in the city by saying: ‘Really, making a logo that makes people want to leave New York and reduce the rent is good’.
After the design was revealed online, thousands of people criticized the new logo as “really bad”.
Ben Stephens, a freelance writer, offered a critique in terms of design, writing on Twitter that the iconic power of Glaser’s design “comes from its simplicity, its boldness, the four-square arrangement of its elements.”
He then added: ‘The original sounds like the voice of a city. The new one sounds like the voice of an investment bank or possibly a healthcare provider.
Mayor Adams has received backlash for the campaign and the $20 million design that took a year to create
Others mocked Mayor Adams’ ‘War on Rats’ but edited the new logo to say ‘Rats Love NYC’
The 1977 creation came as the city and state grappled with high crime, budget problems and other challenges.
Canadian actress Allana Harkin agreed that it was wrong to change the logo, adding: “I think the city that currently owns the most iconic brand in the world shouldn’t change brands.”
Others mocked Mayor Adams’ “War on Rats,” but edited the new logo to read “Rats Love NYC.”
Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan compared the new logo to the 2018 Holland Tunnel Christmas signage that was widely viewed as a design flaw.
While attending the launch on Monday, Mayor Adams said: ‘No one will ever beat New Yorkers. We are saying, ‘Don’t say, ‘Woe is me.’ ‘Say, ‘Why not me?’
‘Go volunteer. Participate. Be a part of the renaissance we’re seeing in the city and state.
‘NYPD is making it safer every day; homicides are down, shootings are down, crime is down, our economy is picking up. Don’t believe the hype. He believes in New York City.
‘We took the ‘me’ out of ‘I Love New York’ and brought in the ‘we’. We’re in this together.’
He hopes the campaign will promote the city’s global brand in the coming months by highlighting community cleanups, volunteerism, local businesses and subway artists.
In typical New Yorker fashion, many have criticized the new logo in comparison to the old, with one saying ‘don’t mess with perfection’.
Initially, Glaser’s colleagues (pictured) said they didn’t support his logo, but he went ahead after beachgoers in Bermuda loved the idea.
Governor Hochul added: “I Love New York” was a message to the rest of the world. ‘We Love New York City’ is a message to all of you,” Hochul said. “The people who have stayed here, who have never given up, who believe that the best days of New York City are yet to come.”
Initially, Glaser’s colleagues said they didn’t support his logo, but he went ahead after beachgoers in Bermuda loved the idea.
DailyMail.com contacted Glaser’s studio for feedback on the new design, but did not immediately receive a response.
Steve Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst Corporation, said he hopes the recently launched WeNYC campaign will have a breakthrough effect among business leaders and the city at large.
He said: ‘Many other businesses and building owners will take this message to neighborhoods in every borough and spread it across the city and the world. This is just the beginning.’
