NYU Font Guide: Gotham, ScreenSmart and Library Typography

NYU typography depends on the unit and medium. The Division of Libraries documents Gotham ScreenSmart for most body text, Gotham for headings and Gotham Narrow for page titles. This is a useful source for understanding library website typography, rather than evidence that every NYU school, logo and printed publication uses one identical font.

The Libraries guide places ScreenSmart at body sizes and the other Gotham families in larger heading roles. NYU Abu Dhabi’s brand guidelines describe a different medium-specific pairing: Gotham for English communications and Mercury Text for longer English print text. The same guidelines reserve Mercury for print rather than English online use. Keep these two institutional sources distinct when identifying an example.

For an independent course resource, give the page title one strong line of emphasis, the summary a quieter weight and the reading text generous line spacing. Put semester, instructor and document dates in a consistent supporting position. If the title is long, allow a natural line break before reducing it so far that it competes with the body.

Montserrat and Manrope can help you compare geometric sans-serif proportions; Source Serif 4 offers a separate long-reading serif study. These specimens are independent comparisons, not NYU’s licensed Gotham or Mercury assets. Set the same course title and a complete paragraph in each family, then compare line length, lowercase clarity and the balance between headings and reading text.