Industry spotlight: giving a little TLC to THC.
It’s not often that we witness the rise of an entirely new industry—one that requires both consumer education and a warm invitation in. In the early 2000s, we saw the dot-com boom, followed a decade or so later by the explosion of microbreweries and independent craft beer. Now, it’s time to welcome the cannabis industry into the mix.
From a branding perspective, cannabis is undergoing a fascinating transformation. Gone are the days of tie-dye tapestries and dancing Grateful Dead bears. The modern cannabis landscape is sleek, sophisticated, and devoid of the shame-inducing baggage that we ‘80s kids have struggled to shake. (Thanks a lot, Nancy Reagan.)
As younger generations—and society as a whole—move away from alcohol in increasing numbers, cannabis in its many forms has found itself the welcome newcomer; a less toxic, hangover-free way to unwind, socialize, or simply enjoy a tasty little buzz. And with legalization spreading, the industry has gone from underground to ubiquitous, transforming city streets with a Starbucks-level presence seemingly overnight.
This rapid shift means designers are rethinking the visual identity of cannabis, moving away from the burnout-era aesthetic and into something more refined. While beer packaging has evolved from nostalgic, grandpa-approved labels to a playground of wild, anything-goes creativity, cannabis branding is still finding its footing. But one thing is clear: it no longer belongs in the realm of head shops and incense-filled thrift stores.
Today’s cannabis consumers are more mindful, sophisticated, and looking for an experience that seamlessly fits into their Instagram-worthy lives. They also need guidance through the oftentimes-overwhelming process of choosing the right products in this new era of THC. This is where visual branding and consumer-focused design play a crucial role—not just in capturing attention in a competitive market, but in guiding consumers toward the products that best suit their needs and lifestyle.
With beer, the main job of branding is to hint at the flavor and experience. But cannabis—especially in the form of edibles and beverages—requires a different approach. Consumers aren’t just choosing between flavors; they’re navigating potency, effects, and an entirely new way to consume. So branding isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about building trust, easing uncertainty, and making the experience feel intuitive, inviting, and seamlessly integrated into modern lifestyles.
Images used for editorial purposes only and were not designed by Caldeira Co.™
Who’s going to push boundaries if not for us?
There’s no getting around it. Design has devolved into a sea of sameness. Same templates, same sources of inspiration, same blind allegiance to the trend du jour. Don’t believe me? Just scroll through Behance or BrandNew and look at where things have been headed over the past several years.
It seems to me that a few things are at play here: 1) Designers have gotten themselves so worried about following rules of engagement (I’m looking at you, web design) that anything even slightly veering off course is viewed as a radical departure. 2) Designers aren’t designers anymore. They’re hobbyists. Canva fanatics. Wannabe influencers following in the paths of their digital heroes. 3) The world moves too fast and budgets have gotten too chopped for any of us to have the luxury of thinking. And that’s really at the core of successful design: thought. Problem solving. Turning ideas into something tangible. But without the time needed to flesh out a given idea, what are we left with? Cranking out stuff that looks… nice.
I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself on occasion. Clients short on time or money or both force me to move at a pace that doesn’t always result in the strongest work. But having done this for nearly 30 years, even my “crank it out” is at least rooted in some deep knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. But I for one want more out of my profession that just executing what I know the client will approve then moving on to the next thing.
Design should be collaborative. It should be thoughtful, ripe with opinions and intellect. It should make users stop in their tracks (or in their scroll, as it were) and actually think. Anything else is doing a disservice to our clients, and subsequently to their customers.
All this to say… designers, take the time to do things right. Work through the problems. Insist that your clients let you. And clients, do your best to understand that you’re hiring us for our brains not just our hands. Because someone needs to push the boundaries, and it’s not going to be a Canva template.
The power of protest graphics.
Graphic design isn’t just for coffee packaging and concert posters. Design has long been used as a form of social commentary and awareness raising. The ability to distill complex thoughts into succinct visuals is at the heart of every good designer, and nobody is doing that better right now than Gary Taxali.
Now to be fair, I don’t know Gary nor do I know if he categorizes himself as a designer, an illustrator, or an artist. But that’s not the point. Just look at these examples. If a picture is worth a thousand words, these works are a full-blown dissertation. At their core the visuals are simple, but the message they’re broadcasting is anything but.
In a world of disinformation, media bombardment and endless scrolling, the ability to stop someone in their tracks and get them to actually think is more valuable than ever before. Design can do just that. You don’t need to be edgy, and you certainly don’t need to be political. All you need is a perspective and a visual that broadcasts that perspective quickly and clearly. And that’s something you simply won’t find in a Canva template.
Where do we look for inspiration?
As a design team working with small businesses we’re often tasked with finding sources of inspiration that align with the everyday lives of our clients’ customers. Whether it’s a yoga studio, a brewery, or a furniture designer, each and every category speaks its own very specific language, and it’s up to us to learn that language before we can speak it ourselves. So how exactly do we do that?
To an extent it comes naturally to us. We have a tendency to take on clients that are in spaces we frequent ourselves. We live in Chicago after all, and are borderline obsessed with the small businesses in and around our neighborhood. We know their clientele because we are their clientele. But every now and again we work with clients that push us into completely new territories, and that’s where sourcing inspiration becomes paramount.
A glimpse into our process.
The first thing we do as part of our process is interview our clients. Over the years we’ve refined a proprietary “get to know you” exercise that not only teaches us what our clients are all about, but oftentimes shows the clients a side of themselves even they didn’t know. It’s amazing how much information we walk away with. And we use this information as our basis for creative exploration and inspiration gathering. That’s where the fun begins.
Inspiration vs. research.
We like to look at creative inspiration from a few angles: ➊ Literal design inspiration. Logos, color palettes, graphics… imagery that feels like the world we want to be in. ➋ Experiences. What is the experience like for your customers, whether it’s a physical location or a digital one? And ➌ how can we “stand out while fitting in”, meaning… what aesthetic does the category lean toward, and how can we create something that’s ownable but not necessarily a radical departure from what customers expect?
And last but certainly not least, we consider the overall vibe and energy of our clients’ typical and/or ideal customer, which helps us further define the language we’re trying to speak. So it’s a bit of a design research/inspiration gathering double feature.
Our go-to resources.
We have a pretty substantial design book collection (thanks in part to the fine folks at Counter-Print and viction:ary) and are scrollers of Pinterest on the regular. We also love hand-painted signage, vintage matchbooks, pre-1960s album cover art, old menus… there’s really no shortage of visual resources - both analog and digital - to get the creative juices flowing. And we dip our toes in as many as we can.
More than anything else, inspiration comes to us by walking in the shoes of our clients’ customers and taking the time to look around and smell the proverbial roses. Because when it comes down to it, we want our clients to become a part of their customers’ daily lives. That’s when we know we’ve done our job.
So anyway… have I told you about my podcast?
Yesterday was the longest year ever. I’m not entirely sure how to find my way back to “business as usual” right now, but hey… I have a podcast! I don’t promote it much and I should probably do that. So that’s what I’m doing here. Look up Launch Breaks on the podcast app of your choice and listen in as I fumble my way through 10 minutes of unfiltered, unedited small business-focused inspirational ramblings designed to help you launch your product or business out into the universe. That’s it. Now if you’ll excuse me I have some doomscrolling to avoid.
Entering the era of uncertainty.
Only 4 days left of democracy as we know it. Is that hyperbole? I’m honestly not sure. But I do know that none of us know what the next 4 years are going to bring for small businesses.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
We can take educated guesses about big business: tax breaks, price gouging, billionaire CEOs… same ol’ same ol’. But for small, independent businesses the future is much less certain and much, much scarier. So what can we do (other than the obvious rage-venting on social media)? The way I see it, now has never been a better time to build a support group: friends, family, like-minded businesses in your area, happy customers et al. We’re all going to need to proactively be a part of a bigger community if we’re going to weather this storm. And the key word here is “proactively”. Get out there, build your groups, reach out to your neighbors. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Arcade game design was simply amazing.
I took my youngest son to a vintage arcade this past weekend, and as much as I loved sharing the experience of playing the games of my youth, I was even more taken aback by the design and typography of the physical housings. The graphics were just outstanding. The type was innovative and quirky. This stuff was done by true artisans, not templates. And the large majority of it was done the old fashioned way: by hand. As an industry we’ve been chasing this level of expertise ever since.
2025 enters like a lion.
It’s tricky to move ahead in any sort of business as usual fashion when so many friends and strangers are suffering through yet another tragedy.
I’m not sure yet what the wildfires in California are going to teach me, and more importantly what I’m going to do to help, but I like to live my life in service to others. I know that’s a bit of a cliché, but I truly believe it. I’m happiest when I make other people happy, or at the very least make them forget their sadness if only for a brief moment.
If you or anyone you know need help and support and you think to yourself “you know… Jason and his team could really help us out here” then please oh please shoot me an email. You have our support, no strings attached. I don’t know what that looks like yet, but maybe you can help shed a little light on that for me.
In the meantime stay safe, stay strong, and give yourself permission to let others help.
It’s the perfect time for a good ol’ fashioned blog.
Social media is fun and all, but this blog’s all mine and I can say whatever I want. I don’t know what that’s going to look like over time, and honestly that’s the most exciting part.
I promise to keep things light and airy and supportive. The last thing I need is another avenue for venting my frustrations with (enter tumultuous catastrophe of the day/hour/minute here). But you know what? The only way to fight darkness is with light. And light wins every time. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.