We all know what a spectrum is. Two ends, two opposite sides, a whole bunch of juicy middle stuff. When looking at weed design, we currently have two clear endpoints on the design spectrum.
On one end, we have the heritage market. This — you now know — is not inherently bad. It has its place and is important not only for the largest group of consumers but also for the rich history of cannabis culture in America.
All the way on the other side, we have the “elevated market”. The “elevated market” is the current trend in cannabis. You can see it in the Apple-like packaging and high-end dispensaries that have popped up all over the place. It’s a Whole Foods-style experience, but does everyone want or need that? Elevated brands are important; they were needed to raise up perception, they were needed to be able to do things like raise VC funding, and they were needed to be able to change legislation.
But what happens to the middle?
I’d like to take a moment here to look at what is happening in our country right now. Right now, the United States of America is so polarized that people literally delete friends off their Facebooks for having differing views. But believe it or not, there is one thing that is actually uniting people and politicians, and it’s weed. We have both red and blue government officials siding with green because they recognize that it will bring them more tax dollars, less crime, and ultimately more votes. (And let’s be real, that’s what a lot of them care about.)
So when we have more public figures coming out and supporting cannabis, it is our job as designers, innovators, and forward thinkers to have an environment ready where everyone feels welcome. When someone looks to join a community, the first thing they ask is “are these people like me?” If there isn’t a brand, a product, a dispensary that suits their needs, then we have failed. Design needs to be for all, but design can very easily be alienating.
Design is about empathy. Empathy, contrary to popular belief, isn’t just putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, because then you are still thinking about what you would do if you were in their position. True empathy is really learning and understanding what that person wants, from their own perspective.
I’m about to be controversial, but Steve Jobs ruined designers. Jobs said, don’t ask the customer what they want, tell them what they want. It’s very easy to design for yourself, or your friends. What’s difficult, is to design for everyone. What this industry needs now are brands that are for all.
I am not by any means endorsing soda, but strong brands like Coca-Cola do a great job being for everybody. It’s inviting, it’s familiar. At first, you might think well that’s somewhat generic, that’s not very cool Libby. But that’s what cannabis needs right now, it needs more brands that fill out the middle of the spectrum. A brand that you can bring to that Florida Thanksgiving for your uncle and show off to your whole family.*
There’s overwhelming support for weed now. Hemp CBD is everywhere you look including internationally, people are sporting leaf pattern apparel, and working in the cannabis industry is a hot topic. As cannabis greets the world, we have to realize that it’s not just a product or a plant, it’s an idea. Real and lasting impact can come from that idea, but only if we do it the right way.
There’s so much potential in the future, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. Got any predictions of what’s to come?
*Disclaimer! I am not telling you to fly with weed. Don’t cross state lines with cannabis.