Queensboro FC is a new professional soccer team based in Queens, NY. The team made their debut in the USL Championship League in 2023, along with a Women’s in the USL W League in 2022 and QBFC II Academy Team in the USL-A League in 2021. David Decepida, of Carbone Smolan Agency, lead the team designing the QBFC identity, and commissioned me to design the QBFC custom typeface.
One reference for the proportions and weight of the typeface was a sign for the Queens Plaza subway station from the IRT line in the 1930s. The strong, industrial, “working class” letters made sense as a reference for a new soccer team in Queens. Blackletter signage and architectural façade lettering in Queens were also a references we looked at, with a focus on the broad-edged pen angularity of these forms. The broad-edged pen style letters became a through-line as a reference to the many languages and cultures represented in Queens, from Latin American Blackletter to Korean Hangul, Hebrew to Hindi. This all came together in a sketch I made with a broad-edged pen, while referencing the sturdy, narrow proportioned letters of the Queens Plaza sign.
Sharp terminals, along with the bold condensed type, became the defining feature of the logomark, logotype and the custom typeface. An alternate number set with cut-ins was also added to the typeface for usage on the jerseys to add more character and personality at larger sizes.
Originally known as QBFC Plaza, the custom typeface is currently being expanded into a larger retail family named Counterpress, to be released with CJ Type.
