Gotham (typeface)

{{Infobox font

| name = Gotham

| image = GothamSpec.svg|

| classifications = Geometric{{cite web |title=Gotham: Special Features |url=http://www.typography.com/catalog/gotham/features.html |website=Hoefler & Frere-Jones |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127040331/http://www.typography.com/catalog/gotham/features.html |access-date=26 April 2020|archive-date=2006-11-27 }}

| creationdate = 2000

| releasedate = 2002

| creator = Tobias Frere-Jones
Jesse Ragan{{cite web |title=Gotham: Overview |url=http://www.typography.com/catalog/gotham/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030207040159/http://www.typography.com/catalog/gotham/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 February 2003 |publisher=Hoefler Type Foundry (archived) |access-date=14 September 2019}}

| foundry = Hoefler & Co.

| variations = Gotham Rounded, Gotham Condensed, Gotham Narrow, Gotham X-Narrow, Gotham Bold

|}}

Gotham is a geometric sans-serif typeface family designed in 2000 by American type designer Tobias Frere-Jones with Jesse Ragan and released through the Hoefler & Frere-Jones foundry in 2002. Gotham's letterforms were inspired by examples of architectural signs of the mid-twentieth century.{{cite web |title=An American Vernacular |url=http://www.typography.com/catalog/gotham/features.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030202095821/http://www.typography.com/catalog/gotham/features.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 February 2003 |publisher=Hoefler Type Foundry (archived) |access-date=14 September 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.typography.com/fonts/font_history.php?historyItemID=1&productLineID=100008|title=Gotham:History|publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones|access-date=2009-01-25}}{{cite book|author-link=Paul Shaw (design historian)|first=Paul|last=Shaw|title=Revival Type: Digital Typefaces Inspired by the Past|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n7e0DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA222|year=2017|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-21929-6|pages=222–3}} Gotham has a relatively broad design with a reasonably high x-height and wide apertures.{{cite web |last1=Berry |first1=John |title=Type Off The Wall |url=https://creativepro.com/dot-font-type-off-the-wall/ |website=Creative Pro |date=7 April 2003 |access-date=28 September 2019}}

Since creation, Gotham has been highly visible due to its appearance in many notable places.{{cite web |last1=Hawley |first1=Rachel |title=How this one font took over the world |url=https://theoutline.com/post/7356/gotham-font-is-everywhere |website=The Outline |access-date=28 September 2019}} This has included Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Michigan State University branding,{{Cite web|url=http://brand.msu.edu/design-visual/index.html|title=The MSU Brand - Design and Visual Identity|last=University|first=Michigan State|website=brand.msu.edu|language=en|access-date=2019-11-24}} and the 2016 federal election campaign of the Australian Labor Party.{{cite web |last1=Butterick |first1=Matthew |authorlink1=Matthew Butterick |title=Typography 2020: A Special Listicle for America |url=https://practicaltypography.com/typography-2020.html#the-democratic-field-as-of-july-2019 |website=Practical Typography |access-date=28 September 2019}} The font has also been used on the cornerstone of the One World Trade Center in New York. It is also the current font used in MPA title cards for film trailers in the U.S.

Developed for professional use, Gotham is an extremely large family, featuring four widths, eight weights, and separate designs for screen display and a rounded version. It is published by Hoefler & Co., the company of Frere-Jones' former business partner Jonathan Hoefler.{{cite web |last1=Covey |first1=Jacob |title=Gotham |url=http://www.hilobrow.com/2014/08/25/kern-your-enthusiasm-25/ |website=Hilobrow |access-date=14 September 2019}} Companies that notably use the font are Golf Galaxy, ABS-CBN Corporation (ABS-CBN Entertainment, ABS-CBN News, ABS-CBN Sports, the television network of the same name, and some subsidiaries such as Star Magic), The Cartoon Network, Inc. (Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network Productions, and Cartoon Network Studios), and formerly in the logos for Discovery, Inc. and ViacomCBS, currently Paramount Global.

Creation and style

The Gotham typeface was initially commissioned by GQ magazine, whose editors wanted to display a sans-serif with a "geometric structure" that would look "masculine, new, and fresh" for their magazine. GQ agreed that they needed something "that was going to be very fresh and very established to have a sort of credible voice to it," according to Hoefler.{{cite web|url=http://www.helveticafilm.com/newblog/2008/02/19/a-font-we-can-believe-in/|title=A Font You Can Believe In|last=Hustwit|first=Gary|date=2 February 2008|publisher=HelveticaFilm.com|access-date=2009-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905210829/http://www.helveticafilm.com/newblog/2008/02/19/a-font-we-can-believe-in/|archive-date=5 September 2012|url-status=dead}}

Frere-Jones' inspiration for the typeface came from time spent walking block-by-block through Manhattan with a camera to find source material, and he based the font on the lettering seen in older buildings, especially the sign on the Eighth Avenue façade of the Port Authority Bus Terminal. "I suppose there's a hidden personal agenda in the design," Frere-Jones said, "to preserve those old pieces of New York that could be wiped out before they're appreciated. Having grown up here, I was always fond of the 'old' New York and its lettering."{{cite web|url=http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/personalities/is_gotham_the_new_interstate.php|title=Is Gotham the New Interstate?|last=Siegel|first=Dimitri|date=8 August 2002|publisher=The Morning News|access-date=2009-01-21}}

The lettering that inspired this typeface originated from the style of 1920s era sans-serifs like Futura, where "Type, like architecture, like the organization of society itself, was to be reduced to its bare, efficient essentials, rid of undesirable, local or ethnic elements." This theme was found frequently in Depression-era type in both North America and Europe, particularly Germany.{{cite journal|url=http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/freedom-tower-type|title=Freedom Tower Type|last=Werner|first=Paul T.|date=16 July 2004|journal=AIGA Journal of Design|access-date=2009-01-21|archive-date=2008-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012163832/http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/freedom-tower-type|url-status=dead}} This simplification of type is characterized by Frere-Jones as "not the kind of letter a type designer would make. It's the kind of letter an engineer would make. It was born outside the type design in some other world and has a very distinct flavor from that." Paul Shaw commented that the letterforms Gotham was based on "were geometric yet they did not look like Futura. Their widths were more uniform and less classical, bowls were larger".

Reviews of Gotham focus on its identity as something both American and specific to New York City. According to David Dunlap of The New York Times, Gotham "deliberately evokes the blocky no-nonsense, unselfconscious architectural lettering that dominated the [New York] streetscape from the 1930s through the 1960s."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/08/nyregion/08blocks.html|title=9/11 Cornerstone, Chiseled With a New York Accent|last=Dunlap|first=David|date=8 July 2004|work=New York Times|access-date=2009-01-21}} Andrew Romano of Newsweek concurs. "Unlike other sans serif typefaces, it's not German, it's not French, it's not Swiss," he said. "It's very American."{{cite web|url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/02/27/how-obama-s-branding-is-working-on-you.aspx |title=Expertinent: Why the Obama "Brand" Is Working |last=Romano |first=Andrew |date=27 February 2008 |publisher=Newsweek |access-date=2009-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204114016/http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/02/27/how-obama-s-branding-is-working-on-you.aspx |archive-date=4 February 2009 }}

According to Frere-Jones, Gotham wouldn't have happened without the GQ commission. "The humanist and the geometric ... had already been thoroughly staked out and developed by past designers. I didn't think anything new could have been found there, but luckily for me (and the client), I was mistaken."

Notable uses

=At the World Trade Center=

Gotham was prominently featured in 2004 as the typeface on the cornerstone for the One World Trade Center at the World Trade Center site, itself owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In a Fourth of July speech at its unveiling, then-Governor George Pataki cited the cornerstone as the "bedrock of our state". The text is written in all-uppercase letters, which was criticized, as some wanted a mix of upper and lower-case to "give the words a human voice."

=By the Obama campaign=

File:Final pre-election visit by Barack Obama to Iowa. (2989469431).jpg

Early materials for the 2008 Obama campaign used the serif Perpetua. Later, however, upon hiring John Slabyk and Scott Thomas, the campaign made the change to Gotham, and the font was used on numerous signs and posters for the campaign.{{cite web|url=http://media.www.ricethresher.org/media/storage/paper1290/news/2008/11/07/Election08/Campaign.Messages.Marked.By.Typography-3530592.shtml |title=Campaign messages marked by typography |last=Doctor |first=Eric |date=7 November 2008 |publisher=The Rice Thresher |access-date=2009-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122000937/http://media.www.ricethresher.org/media/storage/paper1290/news/2008/11/07/Election08/Campaign.Messages.Marked.By.Typography-3530592.shtml |archive-date=22 January 2009 }}

The International Herald Tribune praised the choice for its "potent, if unspoken, combination of contemporary sophistication (a nod to his suits) with nostalgia for America's past and a sense of duty."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/arts/04iht-design7.html|title=Brand Obama, a leader in the image war|last=Rawsthorn|first=Alice|date=6 April 2008|publisher=International Herald Tribune|access-date=2011-02-19}} John Berry, an author of books on typography, agreed: "It's funny to see it used in a political campaign because on the one hand it's almost too ordinary yet that's the point. It has the sense of trustworthiness because you've seen it everywhere."{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-30-ig-font30-story.html|title=The Character Issue|last=Tschorn|first=Adam|date=2 April 2008|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2009-01-21}} Graphic designer Brian Collins noted that Gotham was the "linchpin" to Obama's entire campaign imagery.{{cite news|url=http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/gotham-typeface/|title=To the Letter Born|last=Heller|first=Steven|date=2 April 2008|work=New York Times|access-date=2009-01-21}}

Observers of the primary and general elections compared Obama's design choices favorably to those made by his opponents. In her campaign, Hillary Clinton used New Baskerville, a serif used by book publishers, law firms and universities, while John McCain used Optima, the same font used for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.{{cite web|url=http://www.typography.com/ask/showBlog.php?blogID=79|title=...and Non-Fontogenic...|date=21 February 2008|publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones|access-date=2009-01-21}} It also has to be noticed that while the Obama campaign material still used the Perpetua typeface, the short-lived John Edwards campaign was already using Gotham Ultra.{{cite web|url=http://www.typography.com/ask/showBlog.php?blogID=63|title=A Change We Made|date=4 January 2008|publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones|access-date=2009-01-21}}

After Obama won the presidency, Gotham and similar typefaces found their way into various federal government projects, most notably the identity of the 2010 United States Census.

File:2014 NYCFC circle.svg

=New York City FC=

Major League Soccer team New York City FC used Gotham prominently, on its logo and in its promotional materials.{{cite web |title=New York City FC |url=https://matthewwolff.com/portfolio/nycfc |website=matthewwolff.com |publisher=Matthew Wolff Design |access-date=2 January 2025}} The typeface was chosen for its connection with the city.{{cite web |title=New York City FC reveal subway token-inspired badge with heavy NYC influence |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/new-york-city-fc-reveal-subway-token-inspired-badge-heavy-nyc-influence |website=Major League Soccer |access-date=2 January 2025 |date=21 March 2014}} The Gotham font was replaced in 2024 by a pair of proprietary fonts, also created by Frere-Jones.{{cite web |title=Brand |url=https://www.newyorkcityfc.com/brand |website=New York City FC |access-date=2 January 2025}}{{cite web |title=New York City FC unveil updated club badge |url=https://www.newyorkcityfc.com/news/new-york-city-fc-unveil-updated-club-badge |website=New York City FC |access-date=2 January 2025 |date=9 September 2024}}

=Other examples=

Gotham has been used in other commercial media, as well. Coca-Cola, television shows Conan, Maury and Saturday Night Live, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Qwest advertisements, and the Georgia Governor's Office of Customer Service have all used Gotham in logos. The Georgia state government cited Gotham's "clean, fresh lines" and variations that "offer a variety of options for use in all marketing, advertising and signage applications" as reason for its use.{{cite web|url=http://team.georgia.gov/OCS/OCS_CommonFiles/OCS_Files/CS_Branding.pdf |title=Governor's Office of Customer Service Brand Standards Manual |publisher=Georgia Governor's Office of Customer Service |access-date=2009-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527170208/http://team.georgia.gov/OCS/OCS_CommonFiles/OCS_Files/CS_Branding.pdf |archive-date=2010-05-27 }} Starbucks used the typeface in conjunction with the 2008 presidential election to advertise an offer of free coffee to people who vote.{{cite web|url=http://whywhywhywhywhy.com/2008/11/starbucks-using-gotham-typeface-to-endorse-obama/ |title=Starbucks Using Gotham Typeface to Endorse Obama? |last=Neale |first=McDavitt Van Fleet |date=3 November 2008 |access-date=2009-01-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105163043/http://whywhywhywhywhy.com/2008/11/starbucks-using-gotham-typeface-to-endorse-obama/ |archive-date=5 January 2009 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2J8KJDsqqY |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106093434/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2J8KJDsqqY |archive-date=2008-11-06 |url-status=dead|title=If you vote, Starbucks buys your coffee|publisher=YouTube|access-date=2009-01-25}} The typographical logo of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, designed by Landor Associates, features a style mixture of Gotham and Verlag, another H & FJ typeface.{{cite news| url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/cant-place-the-name-but-the-typeface-is-familiar/ | work=The New York Times | first=David W. | last=Dunlap | title=Can't Place the Name, but the Typeface Is Familiar | date=2011-11-18}}

Frere-Jones said about the typeface when it was released in 2002:

With Gotham's origin—and my own stubborn opinions—I think that anywhere in the suburban sprawl would be the worst place for it: advertising for featureless subdivisions, the specials board at the Exit 23 Dairy Queen, bumper stickers that say 'I [heart] my SUV' and so on.

The third logo of American mass media and entertainment company The Cartoon Network, Inc. (CNI) and the television channel of the same name use the Gotham typeface since the second prototype for its third logo in early 2010. Gotham then became the company's primary typeface when the 2010 logo started to be officially used one month later after its unveiling on May 29, 2010 which replaced the 2004 logo. Eagle Bold, however, is still used by the company nowadays on some uses such as on merchandising and as a production logo. Gotham is also used on the logos of CNI's divisions such as the company's global distribution arm Cartoon Network Productions since September 6, 2010, and Cartoon Network Studios since May 21, 2013.

Gotham was also the main font of the Eurovision Song Contest from 2013 to 2022, and since 2015, the font has been used in the generic logo of the contest.{{Cite news|url=https://eurovision.tv/page/news?id=malmoe_2013_we_are_one|title=Malmö 2013: We are one|newspaper=Eurovision.tv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609074506/https://eurovision.tv/page/news?id=malmoe_2013_we_are_one|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-02-01|archive-date=2016-06-09}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=presenting_theme_art_of_copenhagen_2014|title=Presenting: Theme Art of Eurovision 2014|newspaper=Eurovision.tv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608085811/http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=presenting_theme_art_of_copenhagen_2014|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-02-01|archive-date=2016-06-08}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=eurovision_2015_theme_art_is_here|title=Eurovision 2015 theme artwork is here!|newspaper=Eurovision.tv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505010443/http://www.eurovision.tv/page/news?id=eurovision_2015_theme_art_is_here|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-02-01|archive-date=2016-05-05}}

Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, the television network of the same name, conglomerate's divisions such as ABS-CBN Entertainment, ABS-CBN News, ABS-CBN Sports, and ABS-CBN Foundation use the Gotham typeface since September 9, 2013 as one of the main fonts along with Azo Sans starting on a variation of ABS-CBN Entertainment (later ABS-CBN Studios from 2024) logo in 2021, with the Rotis typeface continued to be used on the ABS-CBN text as the modified version of the said font. It was first used as the company's secondary typeface when its soon-to-be 2014 logo originally launched as secondary logo as part of 60th anniversary of the namesake television network on the said date of September 2013 and then became the primary typeface when the 2014 ABS-CBN logo now became the primary logo on January 1, 2014.{{cite web |title=Company History, About ABS-CBN Corporation |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/who-we-are/our-story|publisher=ABS-CBN Corporation |access-date=2019-09-01}}{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJPtkCOE6AQ|title=Kwento ng Kasiyahan : The Grand Kapamilya Weekend|publisher=ABS-CBN Entertainment|website=YouTube|date=September 9, 2013|accessdate=September 9, 2023}} It is notably used on logos of Kapamilya Channel (launched on 13 June 2020) and A2Z (launched on 6 October 2020). Since 2021, Azo Sans is used as another main font by the company along with Gotham.

MediaQuest's One Network Media Group (consisting of Cignal-exclusive cable channels One News, One PH, One Sports+ and their counterpart One Sports, the television network of the same name, and One Screen) are also using Gotham in their logos.

On 30 May 2014, Twitter announced, "Starting today, we're rolling out a new font on twitter.com, moving from Helvetica Neue to Gotham".{{cite web |title=Tweet from @support (now @TwitterSupport) |url=https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/472493972032466944 |publisher=Twitter |access-date=12 July 2018 |date=30 May 2014}} The change was reverted on 3 September 2014.{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=2014-09-03 |title=Twitter changes font again because everyone hated the old one |url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/3/6102655/helvetica-neue-returns-to-twitter-because-no-one-liked-gotham |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=The Verge |language=en}}

Gotham is the official font of New York University,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nyu.edu/employees/resources-and-services/media-and-communications/styleguide/style-tone.html|title=Style & Tone|website=New York University}} Michigan State University,{{Cite web|url=https://brand.msu.edu/design-visual/#typography|title = Visual}} Rowan University,{{Cite web|url=https://sites.rowan.edu/publications/_docs/downloads/ru_graphic_standards_guide.pdf|title=Brand Standards|website=Rowan University}} the Singapore University of Technology and Design,{{Cite web|url=http://root.sutd.edu.sg/cache/communications-guide/|title=Communications Guide|website=Root: SUTD Student Government}} and was the primary brand typeface of the University of Waterloo and remains in use in logos and signage in conjunction with newly introduced brand typefaces.{{Cite web|url=https://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/follow-up_university_of_waterloo.php|title=Brand New: Follow-Up: University of Waterloo|last=UnderConsideration|website=www.underconsideration.com|language=en|access-date=2019-03-17}}

Gotham was also the font used by Netflix, until 2018 when to reduce expenses in licensing fees, Netflix created its own bespoke font, Netflix Sans.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/21/17147170/netflix-sans-custom-font-typeface|title = Netflix has its own custom font now, just like Apple, Samsung, and Google|date = 21 March 2018}}

Gotham was used as the main font of Roblox since February 2019, formerly using Source Sans Pro. Since 2022, Gotham began being used on the Roblox logo, as well as on some title pages. Since April 2024, the font has been replaced by Builder Sans, a font created by Roblox. It is also able to be used as a font within Roblox Studio.

Gotham was the font family used by most government agencies in the Australian state of New South Wales until 2021 when it changed to Public Sans.{{Cite web|url=https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/delivery/digital-service-toolkit/design-system/digital-styles/typography|title = Typography | Digital.NSW}}

WWE has been using Gotham of their annual Royal Rumble event every year since 2017. They also used it on other occasions too, like WrestleMania 32.

Since October 23, 2009, Telkom Indonesia uses the Gotham Rounded for the primary use (in its logo) and Gotham Regular as the secondary font for its corporate communications use.{{cite web|title=Telkom Indonesia Brand Guidelines|url=https://www.telkom.co.id/sites/about-telkom/id_ID/page/brand-guideline-logo-telkom-indonesia-657}}

Variations

Gotham originally was introduced with an oblique as well as a range of widths. In 2007, a Rounded variant was introduced due to a commission from Print magazine.{{cite web|url=http://typographica.org/2007/on-typography/gotham-rounded-corners-cut-by-popular-demand/|title=Gotham Rounded: Corners Cut by Popular Demand|date=10 January 2007|publisher=Typographica|access-date=2009-01-21}} In 2009, Hoefler and Frere-Jones introduced new Narrow and Extra Narrow versions.{{cite web|url=http://www.typography.com/ask/showBlog.php?blogID=165|title=THE NEW GOTHAMS: 46 New Fonts from H&FJ|date=20 January 2009|publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones|access-date=2009-01-25}} On April 4, 2011, Hoefler and Frere-Jones announced that they had created a new wordmark based on Gotham with serifs for the use of President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign. In announcing the news they wrote: "Can We Add Serifs to Gotham? For the President of The United States? Yes We Can."{{cite web|last=Hoefler|first=Jonathan|title=Can We Add Serifs to Gotham?|url=http://www.typography.com/blog/can-we-add-serifs-to-gotham|publisher=H&FJ News|access-date=14 April 2011}} The design was not released publicly.

Cyrillic and Greek characters were added in an April 2015 update.{{cite web |title=What's New in Gotham |url=https://www.typography.com/blog/whats-new-in-gotham |publisher=Hoefler & Co. |access-date=14 September 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Soskolne |first1=Sara |authorlink1=Sara Soskolne |title=An H&Co Double Bill with Sara Soskolne |url=https://vimeo.com/148627705 |website=Vimeo |date=11 December 2015 |access-date=14 September 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Soskolne |first1=Sara |authorlink1=Sara Soskolne |title=Sara Soskolne – Gotham's newest inhabitants: adventures in pan-European typography |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3f-Wh4x-OY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/A3f-Wh4x-OY |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|website=YouTube |access-date=14 September 2019}}{{cbignore}} By this time Frere-Jones had left the company; Fonts in Use reports Malou Verlomme and Sara Soskolne as having cooperated on the additional alphabets.{{cite web |title=Gotham |url=https://fontsinuse.com/typefaces/20/gotham |website=Fonts in Use |access-date=28 September 2019}}