A contemporary monospaced typeface designed for clarity and legibility, particularly at small sizes and on digital screens. IO uses unconventional glyph constructions and large, functional ink traps to improve glyph recognition — utilitarian features which become eye-catching stylistic elements in their own right when used at larger sizes.

MD IO’s design emphasises legibility (the ease of identifying individual glyphs) as opposed to readability (the comfort and speed of overall reading). To make that possible for very detailed glyphs (like M or #), as well as in extremely bold weights and at small sizes, the design makes use of prominent ink traps where strokes meet. Up close, these are a striking design feature, but at text sizes they all but disappear — resulting in glyphs which look normal, but render sharper and more legibly.

Along with ensuring individual glyphs are legible, MD IO also maintains a clear and distinct separation between upright and italic styles. The italics are not just slanted variants of the roman forms but cursive constructions, producing a texture that can easily be identified in code or written text.