Brand
Brand and style guidelines
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View our fonts and type styles.
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View the nyc.gov brand colors.
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Read rules for using the NYC logo and download the official image files.
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Learn how to lay out content on different device sizes.
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Read our guidelines for adding space between elements.
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Understand the visual relationship between properties on nyc.gov.
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Learn how to choose photographs for digital experiences and credit creators.
Guiding principles
The design system can be described by three terms:
Easy for everyone
Digital products should be accessible and approachable regardless of age, ability, language, or previous experience with government.
Trustworthy
New Yorkers should know when they're dealing with official services and information. They should be able to trust the content offered in these experiences.
Future-forward
Digital products should help us envision New York City how we want it to be and create a future where everyone can thrive.
Where did the brand come from?
A brand is what lets people easily identify a product. In our research, users told us that NYC government as a whole had a strong brand. But they were confused by all of the less recognizable brands used by city agencies for their products, services, and initiatives.
We knew the NYC Digital Design System had to be unified around one brand. It had to bring together all of the many parts of city government in a way that feels like New York City.
To learn exactly what that means, we talked to New Yorkers from diverse backgrounds. Early in the project, we held a design workshop in which 23 designers visited eight community-based organizations. There, they asked New Yorkers about their cultures, identities, and perspectives on the city. The designers turned their responses into inspirational designs.
The common themes from this activity were:
- Design should meet New Yorkers where they are
- New Yorkers want to know they belong
- New York City is vibrant
- Diversity, stories, and characters are what makes the city vibrant
We refined these ideas into the new brand for nyc.gov. You can see the influence of these ideas in our decisions about photography, typography, color, and other brand elements.