Marijuana brands should follow the classic practices in cannabis packaging design to their marketing. This will help them penetrate through the tight cannabis market, encourage sharing in social media, create their own unique branding, and others.

Cannabis legalization has been spreading rapidly across the globe. This means that a new disruptive variety of marijuana products are entering the market. Though we may be in a time where technology now conquers everything, many old laws still apply. Most especially when talking about packaging design.

In this article, we will give you the 6 best practices in creating your own unique cannabis packaging design and brand. So keep on reading to know more!

#1 Shape, Color, & Text

These are the three building blocks for good packaging design which you should prioritize. How your customers will feel your product in their hands will have a big impact on their purchase decisions. So remember the following key points:

1. The shape of your packaging should deliver what your product promises.
2. The color should express your brand’s personality.
3. The text should give your brand its voice.

When you have mastered how to use these three building blocks, you can establish your presence through powerfully focused packaging design.

#2 Understand Your Product’s Natural Habitat & Focus on Shelf-Impact

This is a basic rule in packaging design. If your product does not stand out from the competition, then all your efforts will go to waste. You are just watching your brand fall. You need to engage all of your customer’s senses. Your product should not only focus on the packaging’s appeal but also please the sense of touch and avoid annoying sounds.

Great packaging designs should match your product’s “Natural Habitat” (where your product lives). For instance, in the current market, cannabis products with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are commonly found in dispensaries.

But, what do you think will happen once federal legalization of marijuana occurs? Will your cannabis products be as touchable and visible as the bottles on your local liquor store’s shelves? Your packaging and labeling should be distinctive for it to stand out from the sensory and visual noise produced by your neighboring brands.

#3 Understand Your Consumers

Understanding your consumers means being aware of the channels you are deploying and the messages you use.

For instance, boomers would not like for you to remind them how old they are. For millennials, they care more about authenticity. So they distance themselves from anything that is mass-produced as well as from craft brands. Lastly, generation Z kids will likely grow up in a place where marijuana use is normal just like social media use is to Millennial people.

#4 Focus More on Sustainability & Social Responsibility

In the modern-day, it is hard to market and sell products to younger customers, unless you can make trustworthy claims about your brand regarding sustainability and social responsibility.

These claims include using the following:

1. Sustainable packaging (reusable and recyclable)
2. Sustainable techniques of farming
3. Natural and organic ingredients
4. Overall clean list of ingredients

When making your claims, your packaging is your best proof.

#5 Be Authentic, Be Yourself

If you are just starting in the cannabis business, then you still have enough time to build your own identity. However, if you have already established the personality of your brand, then you need to integrate it with your marijuana offerings.

For established brands, such as Budweiser, you need to stick to who you really are and who your consumers are. Keep building on this heritage. Creating a revolutionary product while keeping the old traditions of established brands can result in new methods of conceptualizing your consumer’s experience. But, make sure to be authentic.

#6 Connect to Your Consumers, Embrace Social Media

Connecting with your consumer’s emotions, regardless of where they live, is a traditional rule in packaging design. Digital technology has a great role in helping you do this.

Just by using your smartphone and pointing it to your package, you can create online channels. You can use these channels for your product offerings, recipes, videos, club memberships, and others. Apply this principle to your cannabis packaging. This allows your consumers to trace the plant’s origins, dosages, state regulations, safety precautions, etc.

Social media can also help you connect with millions of potential customers instantly. You can use Snapchat, Pinterest, Instagram, and other similar photo-based platforms. Make sure that your design is playing well on these visual channels. You do not know how powerful they can be.

Conclusion

As legacy cannabis brands start to penetrate the marketplace, the competition for the loyalty of consumers will become fiercer. So, you need to do your own homework whether you are still new or already experienced in the business. Remember that the tried old ways are still more effective than you would expect.

Moreover, take note that your brand’s success will not only depend on your packaging design. The way you package your products starting from the production stage also matters. So make sure that you use reliable marijuana packaging equipment in your production line.

6 Best Practices in Cannabis Packaging Design key takeaways:

#1. #1 Shape, Color, & Text
#2. #2 Understand Your Product’s Natural Habitat & Focus on Shelf-Impact
#3. #3 Understand Your Consumers
#4. #4 Focus More on Sustainability & Social Responsibility
#5. #5 Be Authentic, Be Yourself
#6. #6 Connect to Your Consumers, Embrace Social Media