NOBLECRAFT ODYSSEY.

WHAT’S THE CONTEXT?Noblecraft, a standout in the recreational cannabis industry since 2015, is set to unveil the perfect mid-tier product line, bridging the gap between high-end and low-end offerings within the overly saturated cannabis market.

WHO IS THE AUDIENCE? The “middle-shelf” sub-brand of Noblecraft will resonate with cannabis consumers who are not yet connoisseurs of cannabis.  They aren’t decided as to what their preferences are (often seeking advice from budtenders due to lack of knowledge), nor acquainted with the Noblecraft brand. Men and women ranging from late 20’s to early 30’s are the ones who will identify with our new band. This group of consumers is budget-conscious yet discerning (“just give me the good stuff” mentality); and seeks quality, transparency, and a seamless fit into their daily routines.

WHAT IS THE KEY INSIGHT? People who use weed consistently often have their tolerance go up and have to buy a stronger cannabis product. They want to get “just high enough.”

CONCEPTING STAGE Because this client wanted us to create an entirely new product line, with its own separate identity from the parent brand, we needed to come up with a few different concepts to present to the client. This can be dangerous, as it allows for scope creep and frankensteining of ideas, but we really needed to show how different each direction could be.

concept1. da Vinci Dreamscape


The idea here was centered on those sorts of fanstastical flying machines that Leonardo da Vinci was known for inventing. I wanted this direction to feel very tactile: sketched aircrafts, linocut clouds, collaged color dyes.



This direction has the tongue-in-cheek play on words only obvious when you really think about it (an aircraft sky-high as the mascot for a cannabis brand called Noblecraft, get it?). I’m super clever, right?



Simple, yet eye-catching. Colorful, but refined. Here are a few mockups of different sizes of Noblecrafts products:



And here’s some fun extensions we made too:

Model Airplane Kit
Box AristoKite
Hot Air Balloon Tour

 concept2. Vibrant Surrealism

This was the safest direction for a cannibas company to take, but we thought we could put our own spin on the concept as a whole. This direction is very digital: artificial film grain, extreme saturation, and impossible beauty.



It was really important to present a direction that popped against the shelves in retail stores. And is there a better way to pop than with some poppy colors?  We then planned to darken the background for even more pop.


This deep navy contrasted with a golden orange glow lended to great balance. Mockups next to parent brand:


all mockups made by Malia Masterson + Courtney Jeffs
Extensions of your dreams:

Third Eye Sleep Mask
Astral Projector
Portal Pop-up

concept3. Sculpted Simplicity
My personal favorite of all three concepts. I really loved the idea of a newer industry like cannabis embracing ancient textures and natural material, because cannibas is not new. Porcelain, bronze, and organic shapes please.



This concept was the reach. Ideally printed on rich cardstock, this packaging needed to feel luxurious while still approachable. We loved the idea of a date to the museum, punctuated with a demure little pre-roll.


Different colorways to represent different strains. Here are a few mockups. Can you tell we preferred the blue?



The most elegent extensions:

Signature Rolling Tray
Ceramic Joint Holder
Pottery Making Event
 CLIENT MEETING STAGEHere, we had to present all three concepts in hopes that one will land squarely. They obviously liked elements of all of them, however they leaned towards concept 2 the most. Next, we had to adapt what the wanted, polish what they liked, and offer them something even better in the next meeting. 

REVISION STAGE Because we had already worked with the client for ten weeks and they had given us really solid and encouraging feedback, we knew that we could give them something they could be excited for. It’s why the scope of work got changed to be given more time; that way they would have a really vocal role in what direction the new product line would get. From here, we polished the ideas we had from concept 2, and introduced some of the strengths that were utilized in concepts 1 + 3. Thus was born the new Noblecraft Odyssey:

Title page of the new brand book
 Final Concepts + Renders by Anand Kailasam
Neptune Blue: Indica
Venus Vapor: Hybrid
Martian Dust: Sativa
 I can’t show too many pages from the brand guidelines, but I will include just a couple of examples of all the work that went into the project here, just to give a general idea.



WHAT IS THE LESSON LEARNED? The client was completely blow away by the end result. And the team was thrilled to be able to see all our effort come to fruition when we had the book printed: it just feels good to hold a physical manifestation of hours labored over creative projects. I felt very lucky in collaborating with my team members that stayed on for the duration of the account, and was even more thrilled to provide guidance to the members who came in when the project was already underway. It can be a challenge to work on a project like this, and I think it was a fantastic learning experience of the pressures of presenting to a client.