Can the branding free CBD from its hashish hyperlinks?
NB Studio and Michael Wolff have developed a luxurious aesthetic for the CBD brand Lady A, including the name itself. The brand sells tinctures, balms, capsules and vape pens and was developed by Alexandra Dunhill, the great-granddaughter of tobacco dealer Alfred Dunhill, in response to based their observation that there is a lack of CBD brands that focus on or are made by women.
The branding includes premium packaging, a clean website design and a sophisticated visual identity, including a new logo, which, like the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford's new design, revolves around an elegant, robust serif. The identity encompasses a range of marbled, colorful backgrounds that feel natural and fluid. Branding comes closest to the mind-altering effects that are often associated with smoking cannabis, the plant from which CBD is derived.
There is obviously a growing market for CBD: the Kardashian-Jenner clan is in favor of it, Ben & Jerry wants to pour ice on it, and it is predicted that the industry will be worth $ 20 billion by 2024.
When it comes to branding, subtlety is still a clear key for most companies. Even the term is abbreviated by cannabidiol, although it saves little time in pronunciation. It is not uncommon for a seemingly technical language to be found on product packaging, especially in the health and beauty market: ceramides, keratin, collagen – why not cannabidiol?
Perhaps the whole term is too reminiscent of the word that the emerging, lucrative CBD market is trying to shake off the design with a lot of help. The majority of popular CBD brands instead have ambiguous names and tasteful designs that keep well away from cannabis leaves and stoner tropics.
The minimal packaging for the CBD oil brand Trip was called "Glossier for CBD" earlier this year. Before that, Pentagram revealed an uplifting identity for the CBD-infused water brand Fountain, whose branding with wavy graphics and a sunset palette deviates very slightly from the trippy end of the spectrum. But even there, the cannabis element would be discreet enough to escape the casual passerby.
Although CBD is said to offer health benefits (others warn it is a fad), an essential factor in this cannabis distancing will undoubtedly be issues that continue to surround it, in terms of health or legality. Add to that the negative connotations that many associate with cannabis – something that design cleanly avoids as these brands try to appeal to an emerging audience.
With a branding that resembles a high-end serum or candle – the kind that is fairly easy to find in high-end department stores – Lady A shows that the journey from CBD to the mainstream is on the right track.
nbstudio.co.uk