New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stands by the coronavirus poster he designed after people mocked and criticized it

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently defended a New York poster he designed about the state's response to the coronavirus.
• The poster, revealed on July 13, was mocked online for its perplexing artwork and criticized for its tone and not referencing the New Yorkers who have died from the virus.
• "Oh, we're not celebrating at all," said Cuomo during a recent media appearance. "What we're saying is New Yorkers did step up and did flatten the curve... I'm proud to applaud New Yorkers."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo designed a poster about the coronavirus — and after it caused a bit of a stir online, he defended the artwork and sought to clarify its message.

Last Thursday, the governor unveiled a new poster intended to help explain— and commemorate — how New York has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic and managed to flatten the curve.

Designed by Cuomo himself, the poster references some of the most notable moments from the state's response to the pandemic, including a state-made hand sanitizer brand and a character who closely resembles Donald Trump with the words "It's Just the Flu" underneath.

But the poster's free-wheeling artwork quickly drew both questions and criticism, which Cuomo took in stride.

—Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) July 13, 2020

The criticism tended to highlight the off-the-wall references and tone in addition to the lack of overall context.

"It suffers from a lack of focus as a story," artist and political caricaturist Steve Brodner told the Washington Post. "It ignores the rules of composition. There's no sense of design. It's a complete waste of space."

"As a parody, I think it's very successful indeed," Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Barry Blitt joked to the Post, "with all the disparate images labeled in minuscule lettering and the chaotic placement of the items."

However, much of the criticism has focused on the fact there is one important thing missing from the poster: the coronavirus death toll. To date, over 32,000 New York state residents have died from the virus.

When asked about his reasoning for releasing the poster during an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," Cuomo said "they're a relief valve for me."

"These posters allow a different form of expression," said Cuomo. "Just to design it, make it visual, sketch it, make it graphic, what am I trying to say, what am I feeling."

Speaking to the media recently, Cuomo hasn't given any reasoning as to why there is still no mention of the death toll, instead focusing on what New York did to try and prevent any further spread.

"Oh, we're not celebrating at all," Cuomo told CNN. "What we're saying is New Yorkers did step up and did flatten the curve... I'm proud to applaud New Yorkers."

Cuomo's office has yet to reveal the names of any artists or anyone else involved in the creation of the poster, and did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The poster can be purchased for $11.50 at the NY.gov website. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, the poster has over 17,000 pre-orders as of July 15.