Confabulations

What the hell? The classic “I love NY” logo, seen on such legends as John Lennon has been ‘updated’ to include a squirrel, a clipart butterfly and the impression of some grass. The cost of this malarkey? A cool $17million. Even at today’s exchange rates that’s a lot of kerblingy to blow on some graphics.

Is is worth it? I’m siding firmly with the “hell no” camp on this one. The original was witty, cool and iconic. The new one looks faddish and redundant. Allegedly this has been done to show that’s more to New York than just the city (it is actually a state that includes mountains, greenery and blah). But seriously, who cares?

New York remains the very definition of ‘city’. It is famed for its urban landscape and – Central Park notwithstanding – is synonomous with exciting grime, low-life glamour and metropolitan buzz. Trust me: no-one visits New York on the off-chance of seeing a squirrel. I can see one of those in Roundhay Park any old day of the fucking week and it won’t cost me a month’s salary for the plane fare either.

Faffing with iconic brands is a dangerous game, but luckily New York remains as cool as hell, regardless of how silly its marketing board are.