The world has a new favorite past time and where it was illegal in most countries, more and more countries and states are legalizing cannabis. Of course, with legalization, comes business opportunities.
The cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing industries and its projected growth is in the billions. However, if you want your product to stand out from the rest, you need to create something special that your clients can connect with.
Essentially, the dispensaries who are trying to make it, have the same product and each one of them tries to produce the best quality cannabis. So, it comes down to packaging to sway the consumers.
So how can the packaging sway the consumer?
When a new customer walks into your establishment, he or she knows nothing about your products. In fact, seeing that the recreational marijuana business is so new, many of the customers will be first time users.
They don’t know what a good product is and will be looking out for something that will catch their attention or resonate with them. When it comes down to it though, lighting one up for the first time is an experience that any first-timer will want to remember.
You could make potential long-term customers if you are responsible for an unforgettable experience.
Sell your story
Keeping in step with creating lasting memories for your customers, your story is just as important. To sell your product, you need to sell your story. This is one of the key strategies that you can employ on your cannabis packaging design to create a bond between your product and the customer.
Marijuana is a highly personal thing (excuse the pun) and customers want a product that will speak to them. Incorporating your company story into your package design will provide that link between your brand and the customer. It could be the one feature that sets your product apart from the others and win the hearts of many a client.
A font is like a tattoo
As mentioned earlier, marijuana is a very personal thing and the more your product stands out as being unique, the better your chances are that it will become someone’s favorite brand. So, if you want to help your product’s image, you need to come up with a unique font.
Using commercial fonts on your product would be like going to a tattoo artist and asking the artist to slap a stock image on your body. Your font is something highly personal and it something that your customers will associate with your brand.
Just like your logo is the first thing that your customers notice, the font will enrich that recognition and help to build a relationship with your customer. If your font is set, it is very difficult to change it, so taking your time and developing something unique is worth the effort.
Less is more
There is a two-second rule in marketing which says that if your customer can take in all the visual and important textual information in 2 seconds, they will feel a sense of accomplishment.
Albeit on a subconscious level, this rule is extremely important in such a competitive market. As the number of dispensaries and products grow, the pressure is on to create packaging that will sell your product in two seconds. So, as the saying goes, less is more.
Cluttering the front of your packaging with too much info won’t do you any favors. Your customers will feel overwhelmed with info and move on to something easier to absorb.
Keep it classic
We are all too aware of the negative image that marijuana has had over the last couple of decades and as more states and countries are moving to legalization, that image needs to change as well. Your cannabis packaging needs to sell the idea that marijuana is classic and stylish.
The junky status of cannabis needs to be changed to one of class and sophistication. Giving your brand’s packaging design a vintage look will appeal to a different crowd of people. Giving your packaging a vintage flair will also sell the idea that your product is there to stay for many years to come.
Going green has a new meaning
Having all the best graphics in the world and using the correct fonts to label your product only get you so far. With the world pushing for green packaging that promotes a small carbon footprint and biodegradability, your product needs to take on the same trend.
There is no other product that needs natural and biodegradable packaging like marijuana. Many different customers will peruse your product line and if they can spot something that is nature-friendly, they will be more drawn and tempted to buy your products.
Don’t complicate the package
Have you ever bought a product that you struggled to open, or something that tore open and spilled all the contents on the floor? That is not the message that you want to send out about your product. Your package design needs to enable the customer to get to the good stuff without having to spill the contents.
On the other hand, the package also needs to be able to keep the marijuana fresh. There are a couple of balls to juggle and get right, but you should put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Testing the package design on people you know and trust will give you a good idea of how well your design will fare.
Wrapping it up
There are many things that you need to take into consideration when you design your cannabis packaging. You will probably not get it right the first time around, but you can make some good inroads if you take the following aspects into account:
- Tell your product’s story to make it personal
- Hand lettering fonts give your product a further personal touch
- Don’t clutter your front design
- Give your packaging a vintage design
- Use green materials for your packaging
- Don’t complicate the physical design
