Well, we really do.  But that’s not the point.  We have a theme category for “I (heart)” postcards because, after 1977 when I ❤ NY spread like wildfire for New York City and the state itself, we saw that logo everywhere and for everything.

Apologies in advance, but you will need to do some clicking and scrolling to make the most of this.

Who knew a symbol could be so adaptable, or so accommodating for double meanings and jokes?  The card you see for this Blog entry demonstrates that (think about it!).  Designers took the symbol and ran with it.  Have a look at our card #33700034.  We were tempted–but only for a few seconds–to let that one be our illustration, but wisely we resisted.  The concept and theme are rendered less offensively by states (#33700060) and buildings (#33700037 and 061) and even leis (#33700093).

Happily, variations work in just about any language (#33700035); or modified for commercial campaigns (#33700040); as national flags (#33700042); and even on behalf of Hello Kitty (#33700058).  Sometimes even the best intentions look odd (#33700062).  And of course the heart doesn’t need to be a heart at all (#33700071) for us to get the meaning instantly.  We get conditioned so easily …

Until next time …