How to Improve Your Cannabis Box Design

Your cannabis box design is your customer’s first impression of your brand. So, you want to leave a good one. But how can you?

You need to consider essential elements for your cannabis display box design patent. These include the look of your brand and meeting state compliance labels.

Modern Cannabis Branding Problems

Cannabis sales have skyrocketed beyond expectations. In 2020 alone, U.S. sales saw a 67% increase, with the industry worth over $40 billion today. Still, behind all these statistics is an oversaturated market.

While plenty of cannabis experts are entering the space, many are uninformed of modern marketing practices and how to build a brand properly. Therefore, most packaging design concepts aren’t being considered for future-proof.

When it comes to branding, you need a design that makes people want your brand now and a decade from now. While there are many ways to go about this, the two most important factors are consumer trust and high-quality products.

But where do you go from here? And how do you get your brand’s values into the customer’s minds?

The Basics of Logo Design and Branding

In the world of cannabis, the marijuana leaf (a seven-pointed green leaf) has become the staple for both tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) brands.

There’s no denying this is an effective means of displaying the product inside your packaging. However, there’s one problem with this imagery. Everyone’s using it.

As a result, incorporating the marijuana leaf as a logo isn’t the most effective way for your brand to stand out. Some may consider it an easy branding method. So, what options do you have?

We recommend incorporating the triangle shape of the marijuana leaf into your logo, but not letting it dominate the imagery. This is an effective way to indicate this is a marijuana product without being too in the customer’s face.

Still, you can also just avoid the green leaf entirely. Some brands opt for their own logo style and use other marketing tactics to reach a cannabis audience. For example, you may have an ad campaign that displays your products deep in the woods, a favorite “smoke spot” for any connoisseur.

Cannabis Box Packaging Design

Your cannabis packaging design is one of the most essential elements of branding. Beyond your logo, it’s how customers identify with your brand. And for this identification, you must ensure your packaging meets your company’s values.

Naturally, you have plenty of packaging options for your product type. For example, cannabis flower is preferred in Mylar bags. Whereas, cannabis concentrates work best in small glass jars.

Still, you can take packaging a step further with a box. There are two purposes for using a box in addition to other cannabis packaging.

A product box packaging allows further design properties that can’t be matched in other containers, such as die-cut. These are usually made with a flip-top lid and designed to stand out on store shelves.

A mailing box that contains your cannabis product (or an assortment of products). Since this is the first physical experience your customer may have with your brand, you want to make a good first impression. This involves a memorable unboxing experience.

Cannabis Box Design Examples

If you’re not 100% sure how you want your brand to be represented, you have a lot of options. Truly, the only limitation is your creativity.

Still, we all need a starting point. Here are a few considerations for how to define your brand identity:

Luxury Design

Since cannabis is considered a therapeutic product, luxury branding has been a way to appeal to those who want the best of the best.

Most brands opt for black coloring as it indicates luxury, sophistication, and grace. You may match this color scheme with green to indicate cannabis products.

Still, you don’t need the color black to indicate luxury. An elegant packaging incorporating embroidery and shiny texts may be all you need to get your message across.

Colorful Design

Speaking of color, some brands opt for other colorful designs to appeal to different audiences. To give you a better idea of how color and marketing work:

• Green – Represents nature and can appear calming.
• Red – Stimulates excitement and can drive action.
• Blue – Evokes trust and appeals to all genders.
• Yellow – Fosters friendliness and stimulates cheerfulness.
• Orange – Can appear energetic and creative.
• Purple – Indicates sophistication and allure.
• White – Provokes quality and simplicity.

Sustainable Design

Since cannabis is a natural product, it comes as no surprise most consumers prefer sustainable packaging. What does this mean?

In simple terms, it’s using recyclable packaging, usually made of cardboard or other biodegradable products. Such cannabis box designs ensure your brand is eco-friendly and can help build customer trust.

Legal Considerations

While cannabis may be legalized, not all forms of packaging are legal. Within the U.S., each state has its own laws and regulations concerning what’s allowed (and required) for cannabis packaging.

If you’re new to the industry, it’s essential to research your state’s requirements. While each differs slightly, some common requirements include:

• Avoid using cartoon characters
• Copyright infringements (i.e. using non-cannabis branding, like candy brands)
• Product content (i.e. THC count)
• Specific product labels (i.e. warning signs)

Final Word

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into your cannabis box design. As such, you may feel overwhelmed about where to begin. That’s where Custom 420 comes in.

We help brands design logos and packaging to match this industry and their state’s requirements. Want to learn more? We invite you to reach out through our contact form.

Cannabis Box Design FAQs