Case study

Budz Visual Identity

A bold green visual identity for Budz, a cannabis retail brand concept, with logo system, palette, type, pattern and merchandise.

Graphic Design
Illustration
Branding

Overview

I created a visual identity for Budz, a cannabis retail brand concept selling flowers, edibles, vapes and more. The system covers a wide and stacked wordmark, illustrated letter marks, a three-color palette, a type pairing, a hand-drawn bud illustration and repeat pattern, and applications on a kraft shopping bag, a tote and a T-shirt. I worked in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.

Challenge

Cannabis branding tends to fall back on the same leaf icons, stoner jokes and cartoon mascots. My mood board of dispensary interiors and existing marks made that clear. I wanted Budz to feel confident and clean enough for a modern store, while still carrying a clear, friendly link to the plant.

Approach

I started from a mood board of store interiors, packaging and dozens of existing cannabis logos, then set them aside and went type-first. The wordmark uses Gabriella Heavy, a very wide, blunt display face, set in one line or stacked as BU over DZ. Two close greens, #33CC00 and #34AD02, split the letters into a subtle checker, with #2C2D2C charcoal as the neutral. I drew a detailed bud illustration in line and let it grow out of the counters of the B and D for the illustrative versions and single-letter marks. Museo Sans Rounded handles body copy and subheads. The same illustration repeats into a tonal pattern.

Outcome

The final set includes parent, illustrative and single-letter logo variations in green, white and charcoal; a color and typography guide; a bud illustration and pattern; and mockups of a crumpled kraft bag with a sticker and label, a canvas tote with orange straps, and a heather gray T-shirt.

Published May 31, 2024Tools Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesignView on Behance ↗