Avoid These Branding Mistakes That Could Tank Your Cannabis Business

Feb 15

Written By Packagewea Packaging Solutions

Introduction

The cannabis industry is becoming more and more competitive. New brands are launching every day, and existing brands are constantly trying to stand out from the crowd. With so many options on the market, it's difficult for any one company to make an impact—and that's especially true if you're in a highly regulated business like marijuana. When it comes to branding your brand and marketing your products, there are plenty of mistakes you can make that will tank your business before it even gets off the ground. Here are some of them:

Don't give in to temptation.

Marijuana leaves are an iconic symbol of cannabis culture, but they can also be an easy way for your brand identity elements (logos, color palettes, etc.) to get confused with other brands. Marijuana leaves are a common element in a lot of design work--they're used on websites and social media profiles all the time! But this means that if you want your business to stand out among the crowd of other marijuana-related businesses out there on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook, then avoid using any kind of leaf imagery whatsoever when designing your brand identity elements (e.g., logos).

Also keep things simple: try not to use font types that look similar enough that someone might mistake one typeface for another one while scrolling through their newsfeeds at high speeds; after all we're talking about large corporations here with lots of resources at their fingertips so chances are good they'll catch any mistakes before too long anyway...

Make your brand name clearly visible.

Don't put your cannabis brand name in light colors.
Don't use your brand name in a way that is too flashy.
Don't use your brand name in a way that is too loud.
Don't use your brand name in a way that is too hard to read, especially if it's written on clothing or merchandise (or even t-shirts) where there may be glare or other lighting issues that make the text difficult to see when you are standing far away from it at night, for example! You want people to be able to remember what they read without having to get close enough so as not miss anything important about what was written down before moving away again...

Don't use font types that are easily confused for each other.

When it comes to branding, you want your company's name to be as unique and memorable as possible. But there are ways of doing this that could actually hurt your brand instead of helping it along. One way this can happen is by using a font type that is easily confused with another--for example, if you use Comic Sans in your logo or branding materials but someone else uses Arial Black or Papyrus next door on their storefront sign, then people may think those two businesses are related (or at least connected). If the fonts aren't distinguishable enough from each other, they may also be hard to read!

So what should you do? Use a font type that's easy to read and has distinct characteristics that make it stand out from others around town--but don't go overboard with crazy kerning or over-the-top italics either!

Keep it simple.

Your logo should be simple, clean and easy to read. The best logos have one color or two at most--not a rainbow of colors that are hard to distinguish from each other. Your brand will look more professional if you use a single font throughout your branding efforts (e.g., web site and marketing materials). And finally, make sure all elements of your design remain consistent across all platforms: website, social media profiles and other marketing materials like brochures or t-shirts.

Avoid trendy trends that may become dated quickly in favor of timeless designs that can stand the test of time--just think about how many companies still use Helvetica as their primary typeface!

Stick to black and white packaging designs.

The best way to make your packaging designs stand out is by using black and white. Black and white designs are easier to read, print, maintain and modify than full-color ones. They're also more timeless, affordable and versatile.

Easier to read: The human eye is naturally drawn toward contrasting colors (white text on a black background). This makes it easier for customers to quickly scan your labels as they walk down the aisle looking for what they want--and it makes them less likely to miss important details about your products' contents or ingredients.*
Easier printing: Printing black ink on white paper produces sharper results than printing colored inks on colored paper does--and since there's no need for extra machinery during production (like those used with full-color presses), costs go down as well.*
More affordable: With fewer colors involved in creating each individual product package design, there's less demand placed upon every printer who works with cannabis companies--which means lower overall costs per unit produced.*
Timelessness: Because these same principles apply across all industries where branding plays an important role (from food packaging ideas right down through clothing lines), many companies choose monochromatic schemes simply because they've been proven effective time after time again over centuries!

Pick a theme, then stick with it throughout your branding and marketing strategies.

Consistency is important in the cannabis industry because it helps build trust with customers. Consistency also builds brand equity by making your company stand out from the competition. Finally, consistency makes it easier to track your marketing efforts by ensuring that all of your branding materials are using the same color scheme and fonts.

Avoid using marijuana leaves as part of your brand identity elements (e.g., logos, color palettes, etc.).

Marijuana leaves are a common symbol for cannabis and can be found in many brands' logos and marketing materials. However, there are some risks associated with using this imagery:

The US government has trademarked the image of the marijuana leaf--so if you're planning to use it on your packaging or social media posts, make sure that all of those images are approved by them first! This means that if you plan on selling cannabis products in states where it's legal and then want to expand into other states where cannabis isn't yet legalized (or vice versa), it might be difficult or impossible because they might require different packaging requirements based on how old their customers are allowed under state law; therefore we suggest avoiding using any kind of leaf imagery altogether when creating your brand identity elements such as logos/flags/etc..

Make sure your cannabis packaging design contains all the required information for product labeling so it meets all regulatory requirements for legal compliance.

Cannabis packaging design is an important factor in the success of your business. If you're not careful, it could be the difference between making or breaking your company.

There are some regulations that all cannabis companies must follow when creating their packaging designs:

All product labels must include a universal symbol for marijuana that's easily recognizable by consumers (for example, an upside down triangle with leaves coming out of it). The symbol must also be accompanied by text that reads "Contains THC" or "May Contain THC." This will let customers know if their purchase contains any psychoactive compounds from cannabis plants--not just CBDs like those found in hemp oil--and if so what those levels are per serving unit (1 g).
Each package should contain information about where its contents were grown; this includes country/state name as well as city/town name if applicable (e.g., Canada). You can even include GPS coordinates if you'd like! This helps ensure quality control while also providing peace-of-mind knowing exactly where each strain comes from before purchasing anything online...or visiting physical locations like dispensaries."

Having a well-designed, differentiated brand will help you stand out from the rest of the pack in an increasingly competitive marketplace and avoid costly legal issues down the road

The importance of having a well-designed, differentiated brand can't be overstated. As the cannabis industry continues to grow and become more competitive, you'll want to make sure your brand stands out from the rest of the pack in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Having a distinctive look and feel will help you achieve this goal by making it easier for customers to identify with what makes you special as opposed to other businesses in your category.

Having unique packaging and logos also helps avoid costly legal issues down the road--it's much easier for companies who are trying to protect their intellectual property rights (IPR) if they know exactly where their designs came from at all times during litigation proceedings against infringers or counterfeiters who try passing off knockoff products as their own work without permission from those IPR owners first!

Conclusion

If you're planning to enter the cannabis industry, it's important to plan ahead and consider all of these factors before launching your brand. You want your business to be successful, so take the time now to make sure you're doing everything right from the beginning.

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