Sergio Abstracts’ identity for DistroMono ensures its musicians are simply and routinely celebrated

“The mono typeface choice was driven by the necessity to communicate accuracy and attention to detail,” Madrid-based graphic designer & art director Sergio Abstracts tells us, detailing the use of Luzi Type’s Messina Sans Mono as the typeface of choice for his identity for music platform DistroMono. “It also served as a great bridge between the typographic sense and the main graphic system,” he adds, based on the grid of DistroMono’s production software, utilised to offer simple, straightforward distribution to small, independent musicians. As such, Sergio sought to bring the warmth and humanity at the heart of the brand – a sister project of music playlist curation brand IndieMono – making sure the people that make DistroMono and its user base never become secondary, in fact, far from it, ensuring that the visual language explores the adaptability and tactility of creatives. This was not only achieved through the pragmatic inclusion of Neue Haas Grotesk but also via the inviting contrast with its the hand-rendered bespoke wordmark counterpart, crafted by illustrator & designer Bea Peralta – furthering the tenderness and earnest energy of the brand through her candid, familiar mark-making. “I thought Bea’s illustration style was perfect because she is a great illustrator,” Sergio recalls, “and she has the capability to adapt to every project she works on.” He adds, “additionally, she has been my friend for many years, so communication between us was easy and fluent,” as reflected by the effortless interweaving of structured type and fluid lettering – a relationship all the more exaggerated through the restrictive use of colour. “We wanted to leave room for the different styles and music the brand will represent,” Sergio recalls, “thus, we didn’t want a bright palette from the get go,” adding a second stage of more moody, expressive hues at a later stage, he concludes, “but these are mainly used in social media with typographic layouts.”