Inside the Delicate World of Branding for the ‘Budding’ Marijuana Industry

More and more states and territories are legalizing the sale and use of marijuana, both the medical and recreational varieties. And that means major opportunities for graphic designers and studios are on the horizon. But how do you brand for an industry that has a controversial image and that comes with stringent rules against certain types of advertisements? Digital Arts dives in to the fray with a fascinating read.

A design studio in the United Kingdom helped a California medical marijuana business educate the public “after years of negative publicity and criminality.” The studio started with the logo, which merged the universal marijuana leaf symbol with the medical cross. It’s all about subtlety, one designer said.

“Each symbol is embedded with the medical cross symbol to reinforce the tone of medical wellness which sits at the heart of the project,” the designer said.

Image source: Photo by Ndispensable on Unsplash

Another graphic design studio employed a slick style of branding to combat the pot industry’s sometimes negative reputation. They did the branding for 48North, a cannabis-infused health and wellness brand.

“Stylishness then is another key word alongside subtlety, so it’s best your designs put away any notion of dingy ‘head shops’ and perfunctory billboards,” Digital Arts advised. “Your audience won’t be made up of frat boys, but discerning consumers of all genders who view cannabis use as just one part of their recreational lifestyle.”

Image source: Photo by Get Budding on Unsplash

Digital Arts listed several more interesting examples where graphic design studios threaded the needle just right.

Feature image source: Photo by Esteban Lopez on Unsplash