Three Essentials for Building a Standout Cannabis Brand with Kristyn Brainard

In today’s highly competitive cannabis industry, creating a standout brand is essential to capturing consumer attention and building sought-after brand loyalty. However, many cannabis companies struggle with branding and design, sometimes treating it as an afterthought.

When you’re starting a new business, there are countless things to occupy your time, so we understand that building a visual brand identity may be lower down on the priority list. That’s why we sat down with Kristyn Brainard, OCC’s expert branding consultant, to hear her three key principles every cannabis brand should focus on to make a lasting impact.

1. Elevate and Polish Your Designs

Your brand’s visual identity sets the tone for how consumers perceive your product. Many cannabis brands treat design as an afterthought, falling into common pitfalls such as chaotic designs, inconsistent fonts, poor image resolution, and even overreliance on motifs like graffiti or cannabis leaves.

Kristyn is a designer with extensive cannabis branding experience who stresses the importance of cohesion in communicating the legitimacy of your brand. "A lot of the design work out there is hasty, bad, and ultimately not polished," she notes, highlighting common issues like improper spacing, mismatched colors, and low-quality graphics. 

“Every brand should aim for buttoned-up designs that elevate their brand image, even if that means dedicating time and financial resources to achieving it. It’s not something you can afford to overlook. You want to be taken seriously, and that starts with your visual representation,” Kristyn adds.

2. Understand Your Target User and Design for Their Needs

The cannabis market is far from one-dimensional—it’s as diverse and dynamic as any other industry and has a unique history and culture. While there is no one-size-fits-all demographic user, many brands may feel confined to traditional cannabis logos and labels aimed at a predominantly male consumer base.

“When creating a brand, it’s smart to keep a wide view of who your perfect cannabis customer could be,” advises Kristyn. “Modern cannabis users are incredibly diverse in age, gender, usage, and preferences. I recommend sitting down with your team to brainstorm all the attributes of your ideal user to create a mental picture of who they are and what they want. Once you’ve honed in on your target user, your branding should then clearly reflect their needs.”

Kristyn’s advice is for brands to embrace variety and innovation in their designs. Kristyn emphasizes the importance of individuality and creativity, encouraging brands to move beyond over-used motifs like neon colorways, graffiti lettering, marijuana leaves, and dominant green hues. “While these visual designs are classic to the cannabis industry and can be attractive, I love to experiment with bright, fresh colors and clean layouts,” Kristyn says. “These elements convey legitimacy and trustworthiness while still clearly signaling that you’re a cannabis product. I also like to remind clients that designs can be effective without leaning too heavily into masculine or feminine aesthetics, especially if your audience is diverse in gender.”

For example, OCC is currently collaborating on an innovative new cannabis brand, Cloud Cannabis, designed to intrigue the broader Gen Z market and appeal to users who want to stand out. By helping Cloud identify its ideal target user, OCC has developed a brand that blends quality, affordability, and eye-catching design.

Ultimately, the possibilities for cannabis branding are endless, but knowing your consumer and target market is essential and will help guide you to the right choice when building out your designs. By understanding the modern cannabis consumer, brands can design with inclusivity in mind, crafting identities that resonate across a broad spectrum of users.

3. Master Compliance Without Sacrificing Creativity

One of the biggest challenges in cannabis branding is navigating strict compliance regulations, particularly with product labels and packaging. For new entrants, the rules can be confusing or overwhelming, yet compliance is critical to success.

Kristyn shares her experience helping brands create compliant materials and educating them so they can become self-sufficient in the future. "When brands come to us to design their products, it’s often compliance that they are most concerned about. It’s a significant barrier to entry when you are just starting out. Getting it wrong is incredibly costly, so it’s worth seeking professional assistance. At OCC, we complete thorough research and conduct rigorous compliance checks to ensure we follow everything correctly," she explains. A well-designed, compliant label should not only meet legal requirements but should also build consumer trust and provide clarity in product offerings.

Your Brand’s Next Steps

The cannabis industry is always evolving, and so are its consumers. Your branding is an opportunity to send a clear message to your target audience about who you are and what you offer. Ultimately, brands that elevate their visual identity, deeply understand their audience’s preferences, and master compliance will be better positioned to thrive. 

If you’d like help designing or revamping your cannabis branding, get in touch today. We’d love to assist you!