Making Puff
Puff Love
Vela Cannabis
Brand Identity
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Like the cannabis trend of the last decade, Vela was in lock-step with taking THC properties to the masses in every form possible. Unlike other retailers, Vela took a high-end sophisticated approach to the commodity by offering upscale services, products and educational experiences.
Vela needed an identity that was empathetic to their strategic path and presented cannabis in a stylish, engaging and educational manner. Brand strategist, Jean Marie Shield brought us aboard to help bring the retailer to life.
CLIENT: VELA CANNABIS // DISCIPLINES: IDENTITY, INTERIORS, PACKAGING, PRINT, DIGITAL, ADVERTISING
+ Strategy
To achieve the sophisticated approach to the Vela identity, we created a visual language that mixed a sleek and elegant touch to the typographic and photographic elements and married that to an expressive color palette. The elevated logo reflects the root of the Vela name, which is a constellation meaning “the sails.” The Spectrum Color Bar on the wall with it’s different emotive states, was a key driver in developing product touch points. The interiors were a balanced mix of select products, information design and a unique layout of the floor plan that integrated Vela with two adjacent businesses including a growing lab and extraction company. With intentionally placed glass walls between the spaces, the interior expanded and allowed us to add educational and viewing opportunities to expand the Vela experience. This helped get the shop included in Leafly’s “10 Most Beautiful Dispensaries in America.” The last touch was getting the one and only Snoop Dogg to endorse and pass a little love to this South Seattle shop. That’s some puff puff love.
We created a Spectrum Bar in the retail space that denoted at which level of THC and it’s effects the customer desired. Whether they were familiar with THC or not, they could chart their needs with the wall and then be directed to all products color-coded to their selection. The colors matched the effects emotively as well as having poetic wall descriptions and informational cards for a deeper dive.
