color cannabis conjures memories to modernize society's monochromatic view of marijuana

sunshine. waves. chapter one. open window. pine trees. warm blanket. constellations. dancing shoes. encore. — an evocative string of musings not meant for mere whimsy, but to ignite imagination and motivate moments of wonder.

these phrases form part of the bold brand identity for a new branch of adult-use recreational marijuana, color cannabis, from weedMD. the federally-licensed producer and distributor of cannabis products across canada tapped the toronto office of creative agency sid lee to produce carefully curated visuals, photography and copy intended to ‘open ourselves up to the beauty in the everyday.’

‘the brand is rooted on a simple insight: the world is no-longer seen in black and white,’ said brett moon, SVP of sales and marketing at weedMD. ‘color cannabis aims to inspire our consumers to live and experience cannabis in their own unique and personal way. with its punchy, memorable and uniquely-spelled brand name — coupled with stand-out colour schemes — consumers will appreciate the product inside this forward-thinking brand.’

significant restrictions on the promotion of cannabis in canada meant sid lee had to overcome a variety of regulations — including ones that prohibit depictions of people, and any imagery associated with a ‘way of life’. weedMD worked with the agency on creating an ‘impressionistic approach’ to communicate the spirit of the brand.

the visual identity of color cannabis intermingles open-ended words — moonlight; hammock; snapbacks; sunshine — with strains like ‘white shark’ and ‘pedro’s sweet sativa’. together with dreamy photography of pools, constellations and sunsets, consumers are inspired to draw from past experiences to conjure up their own associations between certain strains and activities, without prescribing situations or scenarios.

‘we believe cannabis will have a positive impact on humanity in the 21st century,’ said laura stein, creative director of sid lee toronto. ‘the name ‘color’ stands for the many benefits of cannabis yet to be discovered and the open-mindedness the world needs more of. together with weedMD, we wanted to create a brand that was not hyper-trendy or kitschy but rather one that was timeless, here to stay and would modernize society’s monochromatic view of cannabis to one that is broader, richer and full of colour.’

project info:

client: weedMD inc.
agency: sid lee
executive creative director: jeffrey da silva
creative directors: laura stein, kim tarlo
associate creative director: dominic liu
art director: sam heichert
copywriter: sean ngo
designer: sam dal monte
motion designer: emma o’neill
production designer: barry mclynn
digital designer: burak ozcan
project manager: todd moffat
account team: malcolm d’souza, micaela pereira-castillo
strategists: deven dionisi, carolyn tso
content team: paul murphy, elana schacter, erik jorgensen
production team: amanda loughran, ryan reynolds, nick corroon, ashley chu, brandon gowe