CANNABIS POSTER DESIGN
One of the oldest forms of marketing yourself or your business is with a well made poster. From up and coming bands plastering the telephone poles near the club they're playing that night, to candidates running for student council making poster board collages and sticking them up around school, the history of poster design is a long one. In terms of cannabis, early proponents of prohibition used posters to villainize the plant as the "Devil's Weed" and the source of "Reefer Madness," while simultaneously blaming its proliferation on immigrants. The activists of the 60s and 70s reclaimed the cannabis poster as their own, creating an entirely new design aesthetic around a celebration of cannabis consumption.
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While the legacy of cannabis poster design is important to be aware of, just as critically for modern business owners is a clear idea of their own brand identity and what message they want to convey. There are plenty of opportunities for cannabis companies to leverage the power of a poster to increase awareness about their products and services, but it all depends on starting with a solid design aesthetic. Whether they are attracting visitors on trade show floors or showcasing your products on the dispensary wall, well made posters should attract eyeballs and drum up interest in your company.
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At The Hood Collective, our graphic design team specializes in making effective and visually distinct cannabis posters. Because of our exclusive focus on the cannabis industry, and our passion for cannabis history and culture, we understand how to create unique posters that showcase your brand while remaining true to your values as a company.
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HOW CAN YOUR BUSINESS BENEFIT FROM CANNABIS POSTER DESIGN
There are plenty of ways your cannabis company can benefit from a well-designed poster. For some companies, a poster series will be intended for internal use only. Whether the intention is to educate employees, warn of safety issues, or motivate them to behave in some particular way, company posters are an excellent way of reinforcing your company culture and values. Some business owners make the mistake of assuming because something will not be seen by the general public, it's not necessary to invest as much time or money in it. But marketing to your staff in a genuine and professional manner is just as important as marketing to your potential consumers, not to mention anything you put up on your walls will be seen by visitors and prospective clients.
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Of course, for most companies, posters will be used to drum up interest in their brand with the general public. This might take place at cannabis events, cannabis retail shops, including medical dispensaries, or in public spaces. Of course the latter can be problematic and must adhere to all state and local advertising rules, in particular when it comes to marketing to minors. It's essential that your cannabis poster is not only effective at attracting attention, but that it is compliant, in particular if you are a licensed business.
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The bottom line is that cannabis posters should perform a number of functions, including to attract attention from across the room, leave an impression with your target audience, and accurately convey what your brand represents.
DESIGNING A GREAT CANNABIS POSTER
So what does a great cannabis poster look like? There's no one answer to that, and it's necessary that you work very closely with your graphic designer to ensure that it your poster is accomplishing everything you want it to. It's important to remember that a poster, unlike a print or digital ad, is meant to be viewed from a distance. But that doesn't mean you want all of your text to be extremely large. Rather, a well conceived poster will have a mix of large and small text, with the goal of trying to draw people closer.
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Another consideration when designing an effective cannabis poster is remembering that your viewer may not be able to see the entire poster. It may be blocked by other posters or people's heads, so that only a portion can be seen. Notice in the above poster we created for Grasse that their branding is apparent throughout the image. Even if two thirds of the graphic were hidden away, passersby would still know that this is a poster for Grasse's new Biri prerolls. The bright colors and dynamic layout are meant to draw the eye to the product photography, while drawing viewers closer to learn more.
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But you can set aside all other design considerations if the branding of your poster is off. The goal of any advertising content, including posters, is to convey to your potential customers what your company is all about. Many designers lose site of this in the interest of trying to attract eyeballs. That's why we try so hard to build up long term relationships with our clients. The more we understand who they are and what they stand for, the easier it is for us to create marketing content that is a genuine representation of their brand.
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PARTNER WITH THE HOOD COLLECTIVE FOR YOUR CANNABIS POSTER DESIGN
The Hood Collective always puts the success of our clients as our top priority. With a graphic design team that is passionate both about developing meaningful relationships with our clients and advancing the fast-growing legal cannabis industry, we have the experience and know-how to get results. No matter your graphic design needs, we have the proven track record of results your business is looking for.
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