New York City Logo PNG
The round emblem, the New York City logo, demonstrates the uniqueness of the only club playing in all five boroughs of New York. The original monogram design and color palette symbolize the team’s unity and close connection with the city.
New York City FC: Brand overview
New York City FC is the first and only American professional soccer club in Major League Soccer (MLS) competing across all five New York boroughs. NYCFC became the twentieth team in the league on May 21, 2013. The team played its first match at Yankee Stadium on March 8, 2015.
MLS was interested in placing a second team in New York as early as 2006 but couldn’t find investors. In 2012, Commissioner Don Garber contacted Ferran Soriano, former Vice President of Barcelona and newly appointed CEO of Manchester City.
In 2013, Manchester City from the English Premier League, in partnership with the baseball team New York Yankees, paid $100 million for the league expansion. New York City Football Club, LLC was registered with the New York State Department on May 7, 2013, and got its name based on location.
City Football Group, which also owns and manages the Premier League’s Manchester City football club, is the principal investor of New York City FC and owns 80 percent of the club’s shares. The remaining 20 percent belongs to Yankee Global Enterprises (the company that owns the New York Yankees).
City Football Group is the principal investor of New York City FC and owns 80 percent of the club’s shares. The Chinese firms CITIC Capital and China Media Capital partially own this holding company. The remaining 20 percent belongs to Yankee Global Enterprises, which the family and partners of businessman George Steinbrenner control.
Meaning and History
Initially, the team used a temporary image of a blue circle with the inscription “New York City FC.” On February 4, 2014, it was announced that an official club logo would be selected. Originally scheduled for March 3, the voting was postponed as the Yankees vetoed one of the potential emblems for violating their trademark. Two logos, variants for New York City FC, were presented on March 10. Over four days, more than 100,000 votes were cast, resulting in the emblem selection that now forms the club’s style basis. The winner was announced on March 20, 2014.
What is New York City FC?
New York City FC is a professional soccer club in the USA. It participates in the Eastern Conference and competes in MLS. The team was established in 2013 and competed in Major League Soccer in 2015 as the twentieth expansion franchise. The team’s primary owner is City Football Group, which holds 80% of the shares, and the remaining 20% belongs to Yankee Global Enterprises.
2014
The New York City FC logo, introduced in 2014, was a temporary design used during the club’s pre-launch phase. It was one of two prototypes featured on the official website on March 20, 2014. These prototypes were presented as potential emblems for the future identity of the team.
The design of this temporary logo featured a light blue circle with text arranged in three lines: “New York City FC.” The font was simple and minimalist, emphasizing clarity and readability. The use of light blue, combined with white and dark navy, linked the logo to the commonly associated colors of New York City.
This logo was intended to represent the team until its final brand identity was confirmed. It served an informational purpose, temporarily signifying the club’s identity during its formative stage.
2015 – 2025
The debut logo of New York City FC reflects the club’s connection to the culture and history of New York City. Its design incorporates several key elements crafted by two designers. Rafael Esquer of Alfalfa Studio created the graphic symbol, an interwoven monogram of the letters “N,” “Y,” and “C.” This monogram symbolizes the unity of the team and its integration into the fabric of New York City. Matthew Wolff was responsible for the club’s visual identity, placing the monogram at the center of concentric circles.
The circles are rendered in light blue, navy blue, and orange. These colors correspond to the official shades of the New York City flag, emphasizing the club’s ties to the city. The contrast between orange and blue creates a dynamic and memorable image.
The logo’s design was inspired by the vintage New York City subway token created by the Transit Authority in 1953. This token was used as the standard fare payment method for 50 years. The final version of the token featured a pentagonal cutout representing New York City’s five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. This element is echoed in the club’s emblem through two pentagons on either side of the monogram, reinforcing the club’s connection to every corner of the city.
The club’s full name, “New York City Football Club,” is displayed within the wide light-blue circle. The text is set in the classic Gotham font, developed by the American type foundry Hoefler & Co. This typeface draws inspiration from urban signage typography.
The visual emblem conveys the city’s history, dynamism, and energy, strengthening the club’s bond with its fans and underscoring its status as an integral part of New York’s sports culture.
2025 – today
The new logo of New York City FC remains true to the original design while incorporating enhancements that give it a modern appearance. The update focuses on improving aesthetics and functionality without radical changes, ensuring continuity and respect for the club’s visual heritage.
The central element of the logo, the interwoven “NYC” monogram, has been redesigned by renowned typographer Tobias Frere-Jones. The letterforms are now thicker and more stylistically integrated with the surrounding textual elements. This enhances visual harmony and improves the readability of the monogram while maintaining its recognizability. The monogram symbolizes the club’s unity and cohesion, reflecting its connection to New York City.
The text in the logo uses a custom typeface created by designer Nina Stössinger from Frere-Jones Type. This typeface draws inspiration from pre-war tiled signage in the New York City subway, emphasizing the club’s deep ties to the city’s history.
The outer rings of the logo have been updated, becoming thicker to add boldness and visual balance. The contrast between the light blue and navy blue sections has been heightened, making the logo brighter and more eye-catching. The orange stripe along the edge remains, adding dynamism and energy.
These changes reflect New York City FC’s commitment to progress. The logo continues to symbolize the club and the city of New York, inspired by its history and diversity.
New York City FC: Interesting Facts
New York City FC (NYCFC) is a Major League Soccer (MLS) soccer team that started in 2015. Although relatively new, they’ve quickly become an important part of soccer.
- How They Started: NYCFC joined MLS as the 20th team in 2013 and started playing in 2015. They brought another top-level soccer team to the New York area, which stirred up new rivalries and excitement.
- Who Owns Them: They’re owned by two big groups. One is the City Football Group, which also owns Manchester City, and the other is Yankee Global Enterprises from the New York Yankees. This mix gives them a lot of soccer knowledge and a strong spot in New York’s sports world.
- Where They Play: They’re working on getting their soccer stadium, but they play at Yankee Stadium for now. Playing soccer in a famous baseball stadium is unique and shows how they blend into New York’s sports culture.
- Big Names in the Beginning: Right from the start, they signed famous players like David Villa, Frank Lampard, and Andrea Pirlo, showing they wanted to be one of the best teams immediately.
- Winning Big: In 2021, they won the MLS Cup for the first time, proving they’re a new team and a strong competitor.
- Growing Soccer Talent: NYCFC is all about helping young players get better through its youth academies. It also helps the community and makes soccer popular with kids.
- Big Rivalries: Their games against the New York Red Bulls are big. These matches excite fans and show how much people in New York love soccer.
- Connections Around the World: Being part of the City Football Group means NYCFC has ties to soccer teams and talent worldwide, which helps them bring in good players and be part of bigger soccer projects.
NYCFC might be newer to MLS, but they’ve quickly shown they’re serious about winning, growing soccer in New York, and being part of the global soccer community.
Font and Colors
New York City Football Club demonstrates patriotism even in small details. Tiny pentagons on its logo represent the five boroughs, and the large circle symbolizes the local subway token, reinforcing the club’s connection with its hometown. The most prominent feature is the monogram – the intertwining of the letters “N,” “Y,” and “C.” It can be considered a standalone element of the emblem, as it appeared first and was not initially placed in a circle. Due to the numerous colored rings, the image resembles a rondel, not a classical one, but one of its modern interpretations.
In the wide light-blue ring are written the city’s name (“NEW YORK CITY”) and the status of the sports organization (“FOOTBALL CLUB”). The geometric font with serifs belongs to the Gotham Medium family. It was created by Tobias Frere-Jones, an American typographer and owner of the Frere-Jones Type studio. He made the font One Hundred 100 New York, using local construction signs as references.
The color palette is also not as simple as it seems: designers tried to convey New York’s cultural and historical heritage using several colors. The logo utilizes Obsidian Blue (#28295C), Sky Blue (#78A5DB), Orange (#E76B31), and White. A similar color scheme is present on the city flag—a three-striped banner with a seal.
The only difference is that the football club emblem has two shades of blue. This allowed for the transformation of the image and the addition of more colorful rings so the graphic symbol didn’t appear monotonous. Matthew Wolff took responsibility for this innovation, creating part of the logo without the monogram.