A behind the scenes look at researching, concepting, and launching a “special” infused baked goods co.
Credit:
Creative Direction ✦ Brand Identity ✦ Cannabis Specialist
Intro
June 9th, 2023 was the day Thailand reversed it’s stance on cannabis and other mind altering substances. The Thai parliament voted in overwhelming support to remove cannabis from it’s narcotics list, transitioning the country into a new economic boom. Cannabis has been grown in Thailand for generations, it’s part of the culture - but since the days of hippies cannabis had become illegal with radical punishments. Well, NOT anymore!
I had been fortunate to find an avenue in the industry in Thailand prior, working with a company at a university of agriculture for medical research. After legalization I worked at their dispensary in Bangkok.
That’s when I was approached by a hip-hop artist/cannabis connoisseur, and a baker to help launch an edible brand.
I accepted the mission and strapped in on an exciting branding journey!
SpaceKake
°••. .••°
SpaceKake °••. .••°
Mission Possible
Bangkok is littered with trendy, overpriced cafes. Ranging from minimal architecture to overly ornate, and all of which are great escapes from the blistering sun.
I wanted to design a brand and product that could navigate these spaces, and be a product for anyone, of any class, of any age, with any taste. It was important to me to differentiate from the status quo of most edible brands on the market (especially in Thailand) - brightly colored packaging, sugary flavored candies, and in your face advertising.
I simply wanted to design a brand that consumers could trust - welcoming to curious first-timers while not forgetting the experienced connoisseur.
Buckled in, I started my branding expedition. I broke the journey down into simple sections for my clients to make it easier, knowing that things were bound to get “messy” working with food products. These sections included; Research, Moodboards, Sketches, Designs, and lastly the Test Kitchen - where I found the most thrills and shrills.
Because I was already “in the know” with the scene, the initial phases of this exploration was a piece of cake.
Phase 1: Research
While at work during the day, as a budtender, I took note on who was asking for what. There was a huge demand for edibles, especially with the swanky crowd and beginners. While in the evenings I investigated other dispensaries as a “customer” to see if they met market demands.
Phase 2: Moodboards
This is my favorite part of the process. I love getting lost listening to a good playlist while sifting through the internet for inspiration. I start with the basics by going through Instagram and Pinterest, and dumping everything I like on to a Pinterest board.
Phase 3: Sketching
Before I pick up the pencil or move things around in Photoshop I make a list of associated words. I also use this list to guide me during the Moodboard phase.
Name: After some time the two words that stuck out the most were “kanom” and “kush”. As a previous writer, I loved using alliteration to attract attention. Thus, “Kanomkush” was born. By combining the two words into one, I felt it gave life to the brand for creating a word - great for brand recognition and hashtagging.
Kanom /k-ah-n-oh-m/; Thai for dessert, snack, treat.
Kush /k-uu-sh/; Slang for cannabis, more specifically indica strains indigenous to the Hindu Kush region.
Kanomkush /k-ah-n-oh-m-k-uu-sh/; A trip to space with every taste!
Color: It wasn’t a tough decision to choose a purple theme, I love purple, but there’s a few other reasons too. Purple represents elegance and is a color used throughout Thai culture - it sits well against the brightly sunlit saturated atmosphere of Thailand. The other reasons being it is softer in tone, perfect for a delicate product like baked goods. It’s also a gender neutral color, suitable to attract any customer - but lastly it reminds me of the darkness of space.
Phase 4: Designing
This is where the brand comes to life. I gather all my info; moodboard, word lists, and all the notes from research and client meetings - and I start to design and pull assets.A
Logo: I was inspired by the Rorschach Test inkblots when researching terms from my list like, drip and splat. Not only that, it is a method for psychological testing - or studying the mind. Cannabis is can have cerebral affects. It fit the idea of micro dosing (routinely small amounts for therapy), to the stoners who have a high tolerance and want to visit space.
Brand Elements: For this I went with a drippy space theme. I didn’t want to go full out space-campy theme, but subtle. Why space? Nothing is more far out than space - and sometimes you reach that point with cannabis.
Skunk is another slang word for cannabis, due to the similarity in aroma. So, I went with some skunk stuff to represent that thought in a playful, minimalistic route.
The wavy line design was inspired by the cheesecake swirl of the brownie, and I also wanted to represent some sort of distortion of the mind.
Phase 5: Test Kitchen 1.0
I never thought I’d take an interest in baking, but it was great to be in the kitchen assisting the baker. We worked day and night working on our recipe and dosage trials.
Flowers: Staying on course with the space theme for funnsies and marketing, we selected Alien OG Kush as our special ingredient. It allowed for some fun creative content and wordplay for ad copy.
However the main reason for selecting Alien OG was it’s profile. This strain is a hybrid with 19% THC, and it’s primary terpenes are myrcene and pinene. Both of which produce affects perfect for first-timers or those interested in micro-dosing for therapy. Three cannabis specialists, myself included, worked on selecting this strain and the right grower.
“Ground CNTRL, we have a problem”
We were not ready for what was about to come. Just as quick as the Big Bang, we got a strike on our Meta accounts. This is a looming worry for every cannabis business - getting abducted by the algorithm.
We also had a few issues with our first choice in packaging. The extra oily “special” butter soaked through the backing. And While I was at it I made a few minor tweaks to the label design.
After getting feedback from product testing we made some adjustments to our secret recipe. We aim to be a edibles brand for every user. My experience as a budtender, too many companies catered to the person that wanted to blastoff to outer space - leaving out the casual user interested in micro-dosing.
Test Kitchen: 2.0
With no time to waste we got back in the kitchen, perfected the flower dosage, improved our signature Brownie Swirl, and added additional items to the menu - Blueberry Crumble and Ube Sugar Cookie with sea salt.
Our second round of packaging worked better.
Flight Manual
Kanomkush is concerned with customers’ safety and experience. So, I designed educational content for social, along with a user guide, or flight manual, to help customers consume the proper dosage.
I valued my time as a budtender - I was eager to assist anyone who wanted to learn about cannabis and it’s benefits.
I am proud of Kanomkush’s dedication to doing good!
Making Contact
It’s no surprise that social media is important for brand awareness and getting sales. So, I created as many accounts as I could for Kanomkush and connected them all with linktr.ee as our hub. I had to be extra careful with what and where I post after being in Meta timeout.
With all that said, we agreed at the very beginning that this would be a process in the making. After all, we didn’t go to the moon over night. Many missions failed before success. So, our focus is organic growth, word of mouth.
Overtime all these different platforms may synchronize and monetize.
Meta-verse
After getting yet another strike just when our first strike was lifted, I decided to play it safe on Instagram and facebook. Mostly fun designs, memes, and product shots all while being a bit discrete.
Running ads here is a bit of trial and error, something I’m still trying to get used to.
Ordering on the LINE App
Because I lived in Thailand I became aware of this tool utilized by companies large and small, from 711 to the food-cart on the street - LINE Official. Having lived in Japan as well, I was aware of LINE as a messaging app. But now it’s much more.
Not only that, Bangkok’s delivery system is insane - with services like Grab, there are thousands of motorbike messengers ready for the handoff.
They’ve extended their services on another app, LINE Official, linking it ot the LINE messaging app. It’s basically a free online store-front. After fiddling with the features I got it set up and designed. Kanomkush shop was ready for launch!
Cryptic Copy
With running ads I had to be careful. This is where my wit and dad humor came to good use. I got to use puns, cryptic messaging, and emoticons in my advertising. It’s important to know the lingo and culture of the industry you’re designing for, because it helped me with clever copy and design choices. The skunk being a perfect example - the algorithm won’t detect that as weed infused goodies > 🦨🍪. Or even my favorite, our term spacekake for yet another term for weed brownies, “space cake” > 👽🍰
Creative Marketing
I did something I never done before for a brand, create a persona. Introducing the chill beats collection of Edward “Eddy” Bulls (pronounced just like edibles). We wanted new cannabis users and customers to feel welcomed and relaxed by offering them a playlist to accompany them on their interstellar journey. All under the pseudonym DJ Eddy Bulls.
I know twitter is overrated, but it is beneficial for us because we can openly post content with cannabis flower and terminology after Elon Musk lifted some of twitter’s regulations. Far safer to post cannabis content here than on Meta’s platforms.
*Eddy Bulls’ avatar was my first AI generated creation.
Get Baked²
°••. .••°
Get Baked² °••. .••°
Shoot for the Stars
Problems are unavoidable - from the voids of space to the choices we make, and even within the cannabis industry. But, every problem has a solution, so it’s important to stay creative and grow through the journey.
Don’t panic, stick to the course, and stay true to yourself is my take from launching Kanomkush - oh, and bring a towel.
