You’ve seen it a thousand times. It’s on the sweaty t-shirts in Times Square, on coffee mugs in Tokyo, and plastered across stickers in virtually every city that wants to mimic that specific brand of Manhattan cool. It's the I Love NY font. Most people look at it and just see "New York," but if you're a designer or a typography nerd, you see something else entirely. You see a rounded, friendly, slightly clunky slab serif that shouldn't have worked as well as it did.
Actually, it’s called American Typewriter.
It’s weirdly nostalgic. When Milton Glaser sat in the back of a yellow cab in 1977 and sketched that famous heart logo on a torn envelope, he wasn't trying to create a global brand. He was trying to save a city that was, quite literally, falling apart. New York in the late 70s was a mess of high crime, bankruptcy, and a looming sense of "what's the point?" The font had to be the opposite of that. It needed to feel warm. It needed to feel like a letter from a friend.
Why American Typewriter?
Choosing a typeface is never just about legibility. It's about psychology. In 1977, New York was gritty. The Bronx was burning, and the subway was a rolling canvas of graffiti and broken glass. If Glaser had used a sharp, corporate font like Helvetica—which was exploding in popularity at the time—it would have felt cold. It would have felt like the government was telling you to be happy.
Instead, he went with a face designed by Joel Kaden and Tony Stan in 1974. American Typewriter took the rigid, mechanical geometry of an actual typewriter and softened the edges. It gave the I Love NY font a tactile, human quality. It suggests that someone sat down at a desk, clicked some keys, and meant what they said.
It’s a "slab serif," meaning those little feet at the ends of the letters are thick and blocky. But because they are rounded, they don't feel aggressive. They feel comfortable. Like a pair of broken-in boots.
The envelope that changed everything
Here is the thing about Milton Glaser: he did it for free.
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The New York State Department of Commerce approached Wells Rich Greene, the big ad agency, to run a campaign to boost tourism. Glaser was brought in for the design. He thought the whole thing would last maybe three months. He sketched the logo—I [Heart] NY—using a red crayon on an envelope. That original scrap of paper is now sitting in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
The use of American Typewriter was a stroke of genius because it bridged the gap between the old world and the new. Typewriters were already starting to feel a bit old-school by the late 70s, as computers began their slow crawl into the workplace. By using that specific look, the logo tapped into a sense of "Old New York" even while it was trying to build a new future.
Why it's technically a weird choice
If you ask a typography purist about using a typewriter font for a massive civic branding project, they might roll their eyes. Typewriter fonts are traditionally "monospaced." This means every letter takes up the exact same amount of horizontal space. An "i" takes up as much room as a "w."
However, American Typewriter is a "proportional" version. It mimics the look of a typewriter but adjusts the spacing so it reads like a normal book or magazine. This is why the I Love NY font feels so balanced. If it were truly monospaced, the "I" would look lonely and the "NY" would look cramped.
- The "I": Notice the heavy slabs at the top and bottom. It stands like a pillar.
- The "NY": The "N" has those distinct, slightly chunky terminals that make it feel sturdy.
- The "L": In the word "LOVE" (when people write it out), the L has a base that feels like a literal foundation.
The massive ripple effect
Success breeds imitation. Once the campaign took off, everyone wanted a piece of that aesthetic. It became the most copied logo in history. You’ve seen "I Heart My Dog," "I Heart Yoga," and a million other variations.
Because the logo is so iconic, the I Love NY font became synonymous with the concept of "identity" itself. When a city wants to feel approachable, they look at what happened in 1977. They look at that slab serif.
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But there’s a trap here. Many people try to recreate the logo using Courier or Times New Roman. It never looks right. It looks cheap. The magic of the original is in the specific weight of American Typewriter Medium. If it’s too thin, it loses its heart. If it’s too bold, it feels like it’s shouting at you.
How to use the I Love NY font today without being tacky
If you're a creator or a business owner, you might be tempted to use American Typewriter to grab some of that "classic" energy. It works, but you have to be careful. Because it is so tied to New York, using it can sometimes feel like a parody.
- Don't over-kern it. The font is meant to have a little bit of breathing room. If you squash the letters together, you lose the "typewriter" feel.
- Watch your weights. The "Medium" weight is the sweet spot. The "Light" version looks a bit too much like a legal document from 1982.
- Color matters. Glaser used a very specific, vibrant red for the heart (often cited as Long-Run Red). When paired with black text on a white or cream background, the font pops. If you put it on a neon green background, the vintage charm dies instantly.
The legal side of the heart
You can't just go around printing the "I Love NY" logo on shirts and selling them at a flea market. Well, you can, but the New York State Empire State Development (ESD) will eventually find you. They own the trademark. They pull in millions of dollars a year in licensing fees.
Interestingly, while the logo is trademarked, the font itself is not "New York's font." American Typewriter is a commercial typeface owned by ITC (International Typeface Corporation). You can buy a license to use the font for your own projects. You just can't arrange it in a way that tricks people into thinking you're an official New York state entity.
Misconceptions about the design
People often think the font was custom-made for the city. It wasn't. Glaser was a master of "found" inspiration. He saw something that existed—a relatively new font at the time—and recognized its potential to solve a very specific emotional problem.
Another misconception? That it was always meant to be black. While the black-on-white version is the most famous, the campaign has used variations for decades. But the I Love NY font always stays the same. Consistency is why it survived the 80s, the 90s, and the digital revolution.
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Beyond the T-shirt
The influence of this typography is everywhere. Think about the "indie" aesthetic of the early 2010s or the current "retro-modern" trend in cafe branding. They all owe a debt to the decision to use a typewriter-style face for a high-profile logo. It proved that you could be "corporate" without being "soulless."
Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle. In a world where every tech company is moving toward boring, identical sans-serif logos (think Google, Airbnb, and Spotify all looking the same), the I Love NY font remains a holdout. It has personality. It has flaws. It has those weird, chunky feet.
How to get the look for your project
If you want to use the I Love NY font (American Typewriter) in your own work, you don't have to look far.
- Adobe Fonts: If you have a Creative Cloud subscription, it’s usually included in the library.
- System Fonts: If you use a Mac, American Typewriter is often pre-installed as a system font. Check your Font Book.
- Web Alternatives: If you're building a website and don't want to pay for a license, look for Google Fonts like "Arvo" or "Courier Prime." They aren't identical—Arvo is much more modern and Courier is more mechanical—but they hit a similar "slab" note.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are looking to capture that specific New York vibe in your branding or design project, start by analyzing the spacing. The "I Love NY" logo works because of the "negative space"—the white areas between the letters and the heart.
- Download the right weight: Specifically, look for "ITC American Typewriter Medium."
- Test your contrast: Stick to high-contrast colors. Black text on a light background is the classic "typewriter" look.
- Avoid all-caps: American Typewriter actually looks great in sentence case. The lowercase "g" and "y" have beautiful, sweeping curves that you lose if you just shout in all caps.
- Pair it wisely: Don't pair it with another serif font. It works best with a very clean, simple sans-serif (like Helvetica or Montserrat) if you need secondary text.
The I Love NY font isn't just a piece of history; it’s a masterclass in how typography can change the mood of an entire population. It turned a cold, struggling city into a place that felt like home. Even if you've never stepped foot in Manhattan, that font makes you feel like you know the place. That’s the power of a few well-placed slabs and some rounded corners.