In 1977 , William S. Doyle , Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Commerce hired advertising agency Wells Rich Greene to develop a marketing campaign for New York State . Doyle also recruited Milton Glaser , a productive graphic designer to work on the campaign and create a design based on Wells Rich Greene 's advertising campaign . Glaser 's final sketch to accompany the agency 's " I Love New York " slogan was conceived in a taxi . It comprised the letter I and a heart shape followed by NY , all on the same line . As the idea developed he decided to stack the I and heart shape on a line above the NY characters , later stating that he may have been " subliminally " influenced by Robert Indiana 's LOVE pop art image . Glaser expected the campaign to last only a couple months and did the work pro bono . The innovative pop-style icon became a major success and has continued to be sold for years . In the popular mind ( though this was not the original intention ) the logo has become closely associated with New York City , and 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 . Glaser 's original concept sketch and presentation boards were donated by Doyle to the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art , New York . < ! -- The image became especially prominent following the September 11 attacks on the city , which created a sense of unity among the populace . Many visitors to the city following the attacks purchased and wore the shirts bearing the I Love New York logo as a sign of their support . Glaser created a modified version to commemorate the attacks , reading " I Love NY More Than Ever " , with a little black spot on the heart symbolizing the World Trade Center site . The black spot approximates the site 's location on lower Manhattan Island . The poster was printed in the New York Daily News and was a fundraiser for New York charities supporting those affected by the attacks . Added text at the bottom encouraged people to " Be generous . Your city needs you . This poster is not for sale . " " I Love New York " was written and composed by Steve Karmen in 1977 as part of the advertising campaign . In 1980 , Governor Hugh Carey declared it as New York 's state anthem . In a move that was remarkable for Karmen , who is well known for retaining the publishing rights to his songs , he gave the rights to the song to the state for free
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
I Love New York