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Chicago
Last discussed Aug 14, 2026
A bitmap system font designed by Susan Kare for the original Macintosh, using horizontals, verticals, and 45-degree angles for legibility at small sizes.
Recently discussed in
Susan Kare: Designing Icons & Graphics For the Original Mac
Susan Kare · Aug 14, 2026
Created by
SK
Susan Kare
creator
Used for: System font for the Macintosh title bar and UI; later used in the original iPod
Praised: Clean, legible at small sizes; used proportional spacing unlike earlier displays
vs: Replaced jaggedy earlier screen fonts; also used in the first iPod
"The first font I designed was Chicago. It's nine pixels tall cap height, and I looked at the stuff that was on the screen, and it just seemed as if it was all jaggedy, and it didn't seem as if it would be that big a deal to make it look tidier by ..."
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