Andrés Higueros’ Mayan-influenced, futurist-flavoured identity for Mesobis tells a striking story

LA-based cannabis brand Mesobis is established to bridge Californian and Mesoamerican cultures and civilisations, combining historical and brutalist inspirations to tell a new, powerful story for the modern day. In a Mexico City-based collaboration with design studio Mad Monk, Guatemalan designer Andrés Higueros took to visually embody this endeavour through Mayan-influenced, futurist-flavoured typography, armed with a rich understanding of the brand’s context. “Taking in mind the principles of this art,” Higueros tells us, in reference to its latinoamérica roots, “I choose two supporting typefaces,” opting for Pangram Pangram’s condensed sans serif Right Grotesk as the primary headliner alongside the brand’s blocky bespoke wordmark. “Right Grotesk works very well with the aesthetic of the logotype,” Higueros explains, suggesting the connective and harmonious benefit of the typeface’s bold, sturdy construction. “It balances the brutalist aesthetic of the custom typeface in the logo,” he continues, “and the messages of the brand system, creating a cohesive brand” – one supported by the use of Sharp Type’s Centra No. 2 as the secondary typeface. “Centra No.2 is geometric typography that also has some brutalist principles in its anatomy,” Higueros recalls, “but with a fashionable approach,” optimised for small text formats due to its geometric nature. A similar narrative of simplicity, practicality and storytelling is found in Mesobis’ colour palette, with the designer opting for a bright palette that helps differentiate the product offerings. “Each colour is connected with the effects of cannabis on your body,” Higueros explains, detailing yellow as energising, red as passionate, green as refreshing and pink as relaxation. “These colours are inspired by colours that you can find throughout latinoamérica countries,” he continues, such as the clothing, landscape and art. “So in that way,” Higueros concludes, “each aspect of the brand is connected with the main message of its concept,” applying Mesobis’ integral, historical philosophy across the brand’s online and physical matter.