Cannabis market is projected to be a 60 billion dollar industry by 2025. That’s only 5 years from today as I’m writing this article and it’s not a surprise if you see the history of the alcohol industry.
In Australia, cannabis products are highly regulated however, hundreds of companies are getting ready to have a piece of this growing phenomenon and we’ve been approached by a number of hemp, CBD, Pharmaceutical cannabis businesses asking for advice on branding and packaging design. So if you’re in the process of creating your own brand, this article will give you the tips on how to develop the best cannabis brand & packaging design to stand out.
image: Vybes
Customers are already more savvy than you think in terms of benefits in CBD, THC and cannabinoids. More brands have started entering the Australian Stock market and launching consumable products on a weekly basis. Whether you are a skincare brand, food retail, or a hemp product, in order to create a premium product and stand out of this cluttered market, you need a brand and packaging design that builds you confidence and trust.
image : Studio Good co
Tip 1: Don’t focus on the ingredient. Focus on the vision.
Your brand shouldn’t be all about CBD or THC. It’s not going to be unique enough to compete with other CBD infused products. Your logo doesn’t have to have a shape of a cannabis leaf to say you’re a cannabis brand.
Don’t treat cannabis as an exotic category. I think too many brands are stuck with shades of green.
Focus on creating the right message to the right audience. Build an emotional brand around the experience and greater vision of lifestyle. Does your product look premium? Does it have flavour cues? Does it look tasty? Does it stand out? Does it communicate the effectiveness of pain relief?
Tip 2: Make sure your product engages, educates and evolves.
Engage / Educate / Evolve should be part of your brand. Open a social channel to educate your customers about the care, safety instructions, recipes..etc, engage with them and listen to customers’ reactions to evolve your brand.
As part of our design package, we always make sure this process plays well with powerful visual messages to engage with your audience – not just creating ads.
Tip 3: Design for the future.
It’s not going to be easy to market your product to younger consumers unless your packaging is eco friendly. I can’t stress you enough how important sustainable packaging is especially in this industry. Consider reusable, compostable, recyclable options over with your natural products.
Tip 4: Be yourself.
If you are a start up, you have more creative freedom to be whoever you want. But if you are an established brand and want to introduce cannabis offerings, you don’t need to package your product with groovy green spirals. Combine your brand legacy with cannabis experience conceptually.
Tip 5: Do your research.
Follow the retail trend on what’s being sold and evolve your branding to allow flexibility. The key is to start with a solid brand foundation to begin with that allows you to communicate a simple message, allows diversity and scalability.
Brands should apply best retail branding practices in their packaging design to cut through the competitive clutter, encourage social media sharing, make a statement and create better brands.
Ready to enter the cannabis marketplace? Drop us a line