Why is it a ♥ and not the word HEART?: How Design Happens Series

Love Sculpture, 1970. Robert Indiana.
The logo consists of a PRONOUN, a SYMBOL and an ABBREVIATION, quite a complicated idea combining three different kinds of communication in a single phrase.
In 1977 Milton Glaser was asked by RICH, Wells & Green to design a logo type for the New York State ad campaign “I Love New York.” He chose American Typewriter as the typeface and proceeded to layout the logo, I Love New York replacing the word LOVE with the HEART symbol and then stacking the letters word is part of the genius of the logo.

I Love NY, 1977. Milton Glaser.
Mr Glaser says he might have been influenced by Robert Indiana’s LOVE Sculpture which at the time was displayed in NYC.
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How Design Happens
Bruce Hannah 2019©