MANO
Mexican Art And Object
Branding / Identity System
2022
Versión Español
MANO is a gallery specializing in contemporary artistic and artisanal expressions of Mexico. A curatorial approach that preserves and expands traditional mythologies and anthropological narratives through nomadic collections, forever linked by their place of origin.
For this, a graphic identity system was developed that had as its cornerstone the combination of the logo and a wide color palette to generate unique and easily recognizable colorful patterns.
© MANO. All rights reserved.
For this, a graphic identity system was developed that had the logo, a wide color palette, and the combination of these two to generate colorful patterns that were unique and easily recognizable as its pillars.
INTRO
Inspiration
MANO is a platform that exposes international audiences to the diversity of contemporary art and design produced in Mexico, connecting the Mexican-American community with our homeland. With all this in mind, the brand image needed to be dynamic, colorful, and diverse, drawing primary inspiration from pre-Hispanic roots and contemporary Mexican references like Luis Barragán, Pedro Reyes, Hermanos Koumori, among others.
In Mexico, "MANO" is also a colloquial term used to refer to someone as a brother or friend. So, a name that conveniently happens to be an acronym for "Mexican Art 'N Object" was adopted.
Pre-Hispanic Inspiration
Modern mexican references
Logotype
The letters that make up the logo were created from pyramidal geometric shapes. Their use wasn't random; a central idea of MANO is to constantly communicate its origin and take pride in its roots. Thus, it was straightforward to use them as the basis for the branding.
The letter "M" is like shaking someone's hand. The letter "A" takes the shape of a hand with fingers together, and the letter "N" subtly references the ancient Mesoamerican fretwork. The final letter, "O," is a neutral shape that offers balance and at times serves as a container.
The logo effectively communicates the concept, blending Mexican identity with a modern touch to achieve the perfect balance between tradition and the present.
Typography
When we envisioned the brand, it was evident that everything – not just the logo, but all aspects, including the font – should directly represent or reference Mexico. For the font, we chose one that would enable us to convey messages harmonizing with the visual elements of our materials. In 2020, Non Foundry, a type foundry from northern Mexico, introduced a typeface that precisely matched our criteria, it was: Non Natural Grotesk.
The foundry describes the Non Natural typeface as follows:
- "It's a sans-serif typeface with subtle details that give it a distinctive personality. The goal was to create a legible font with good contrast between black and white, making it suitable for various sizes.
-
It has specific features that aid reading and reproduction; ink traps are sized just right for functional text. The shapes and geometric structure reflect inspiration and influence from mid-20th century Swiss typography."
Color
Color is integral to the heart and soul of many cultures, which is why a palette of vibrant colors was chosen. This allows for play and variation at each gallery event and brings a piece of Mexico to Chicago.
The wide variety of colors in the palette enables ongoing dynamism in communication materials, celebrating the diverse graphic and artistic expressions of Mexico. Initial color palettes were inspired by visual references from crafts and folk art, blending together to form vibrant and engaging combinations.
Dynamic Shapes
Right from the start, we designed MANO's identity to be a dynamic system anchored by the logo, allowing the letters to stretch, shrink, and adjust to various digital and print formats.
The main reason for this dynamism is to mirror the gallery's ever-evolving nature, much like our use of color. Being open to change is essential to our philosophy and our artistic direction. Tradition serves as a starting point, but it's definitely not the ultimate goal.
Vertical stretched logoLogo variables by stretching the weight of the letter shapes
Collaterals
A good identity must adapt to various sizes, shapes, and materials as needed, not just look good on the screen.
MANO, in its initial stage, required basic materials such as business cards, bags, or pin identifiers and notebooks. These collaterals required the use of the primary logos (horizontal and square) since before experimenting with dynamic shapes, positioning the primary logo was necessary.
Guardians & Calendar Exhibition
MANO's first exhibition provided the opportunity to create colorful communication materials with the brand as the protagonist, always rooted in the artists' work. Geometric shapes and color contrasts, like maroon and red, helped us stand out easily among street communication materials and on social media.© MANO. All rights reserved.
Guardians poster (front view) Guardians poster (back view)
Folded PosterPoster for Guardians exhibition (Detail)
Developing the catalog for the "Calendario" exhibition was a different way to design an editorial piece. Being separate postcards allowed us to freely play with the pieces, something a bound catalog doesn't allow.
Front cover of the Calendar catalogue Interiors of the Calendar catalogue Postcards of the Calendar catalogueBack cover of the Calendar catalogue
Web
Proposal for website (not used)
Initial web page exercises were developed with nearly full-screen images, a clearly defined grid, and monospaced typography. This allowed the team to understand the scope of the identity and how the digital system could be based on brand guidelines.
Proposal for website (not used)
Social Media
Stories for the Guardians exhibition, as an extension of the main graphic identity
We created and launched graphics for social media, especially for Instagram stories or posts, which should always be a digital extension of print materials and vice versa. Taking advantages of the strengths of each medium helps generate visually captivating and interesting messages.
The system needs to work not only with bespoke languge but with images an photopraphs
The first campaigns were connected to the "Guardianes" exhibition, but as time went on, communication requirements grew. Consequently, the graphic system widened, confirming its importance for the gallery.
An important part of this system is the adaptation for different audiences, in this case, for little kids
Design Credits:
Creative Direction & Design:
Eric León Hdez.
Photography Art Direction for case study:
Eric León Hdez. + Victor Medina Fuentes
Photographs of collaterals & Calendar Catalogue by:
Innrt Studio – Víctor Medina Fuentes
Collateral materials printed in Mexico City by Innova & Kon
Other Credits:
Calendar catalogue published and edited by:
MANO Team
Photography of the art pieces:
MANO Team & MACUCO
Opening exhibition photographs:
Murmur Ring – Jacquelyn Trezzo
All Rights reserved by the authors and publisher.