Just when you thought you had a grasp on the tangled web of regulations governing California’s legal #cannabis market, the packaging rules are changing again on January 1, 2020.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣That’s right around the corner… so if you are a manufacturer, grower or producer, you need to pay attention or face consequences that could include product seizure, loss of revenues, and delays in getting compliant packaging on the shelves.

You’ve heard the expression, “It’s a jungle out there.”

This phrase may not have a traceable origin, but serves as a metaphor with the implication that the world is full of hidden, unforeseen dangers, along with the concept of "survival of the fittest."

This allegory of “only the strong survive” is playing out in the world of cannabis retailing.

We recently celebrated our third anniversary as a company, and there’s a lot to celebrate.

We added staff in key markets and doubled the size of our design team.

We won several prestigious awards for our design work on the new Duallok system.

Our co-founder and CEO, Kary Radestock, was named “Cannabis Woman of the Year.”

If you really want your brand to stand out, you need to know a little bit about design and packaging. As industry pros with a deep foundation in the printing industry, we know some of the best techniques to make your packaging truly exceptional.

Many of these ideas are not well known in the cannabis community.

Tale a look at a few of our favorite techniques that will make your packaging really pop.

It’s not a question of whether or not “stoners” care about cannabis packaging, it’s about whether or not consumers – of all types – care about packaging. And the answer to that is a resounding, yes – they do care.

Companies with strong brand recognition will be worth more, and will generate more revenue.

It’s time to get real about cannabis.

Today, the majority of Americans reside in a state where cannabis is legal.

It is time for the federal government to reschedule cannabis. Keeping it in the same category as heroin makes no sense. Millions of Americans rely on legal, accessible, and safe cannabis for their health and well-being, and have repeatedly asked federal lawmakers to amend scheduling in a manner that reflects reality. Cannabis should not be categorized along with heroin. Let’s remove outdated notions and put some common sense into cannabis policies.

In this two-part series, we are celebrating excellence in branding, packaging, and marketing within the cannabis industry. In part 1, we explored the development of the Canndescent brand. Today, we turn our eyes to hmblt, one of the most stunning brands on the market.

I asked Derek McCarthy, Chief Marketing Officer at hmblt, what advice he would give to a fellow canna-prenuers. “Be creative in how you find strategic partners,” he said. “A brand is a living, breathing, dynamic thing… the development will never stop.”

There is so much talk about the lack of sophisticated branding in the cannabis space. And while it is true that there are many look-alike logos and a plethora of cannabis leaves in way too many brands, there is some great work being produced that deserves to be recognized.

This inaugural blog will highlight two brands that recently exploded on the scene that bring a sophistication that is often lacking in the cannabis sector. They are: hmbldt and Canndescent. We will look at Canndescent in Part 1 of this blog.

420 is coming and we are hitting the road to celebrate throughout California! 

Our NorCal team will be attending Cannacon in Santa Rosa and our SoCal team will be at the High Times event in San Bernardino.

Photo Credit : Alan Turkus from Hopewell, New Jersey, USA - 420 written on a train in New Jersey