TERRAPIN
CARE STATION
In a quickly growing category, consumers were being inundated in the ‘sea of same’ where every cannabis brand packaging looked the same. The creative solution to standing out - let the genetics and personality of the product come forward to cultivate strong brand affinity.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Creative Direction, Packaging Design, Photography Direction, Brand Strategy, Tagline, Event Activation
CHALLENGE
Launched in the early days of legalization, the cannabis brand Terrapin Care Station had become a major player in the category. However, the space quickly became crowded and with a ‘sea of same’ in stores, consumers weren’t always invited to develop any brand affinity. The packaging needed new life and the brand needed to generate new energy to avoid becoming outdated.
APPROACH
Researching packaging, culture, and the trajectory of the category, I designed all new packaging for the brand’s flower products. There was an immediate opportunity to lead the design with the element consumers connected with most on a personal and emotional level - the name of the strain. Unlike other CPG products, flower strain names often indicate their genetic lineage combined with their effects. The results are quirky, edgy, and fun.
With that, I designed a consistent visual framework to hold the brand logo, strain dominance, and weight. This would provide immediate brand recognition while also reserving space for strong packaging design. Custom illustrations that spanned styles were combined with new color palettes that popped off the shelf.
RESULT
The new packaging was celebrated immediately by independent dispensary owners who wanted to stock their stores with the exciting new look and by consumers who regularly posted pics of their purchase to social media.
TERRAPIN x UMS
BRAND ACTIVATION
After the new packaging launch, I designed a full brand activation for a local event called UMS, the Underground Music Showcase, held every year over the summer in Denver. With a custom snow-cone station (flavors named after strains), a selfie booth, and custom merch handed out at 4:20pm, our booth was the second most popular location at the event, topped only by the stage. Attendees who took selfies were encouraged to share on social to receive a discount code for one of Terrapin’s dispensary locations down the street.
