The legal marijuana market has been rapidly growing for years and shows no signs of slowing down. The global market is expected to exceed $55 billion by 2025. Cannabis is no longer a niche market, but one that appeals to an increasingly large and varied audience. As regulations continue to evolve and more consumers become interested in cannabis products, companies need to ensure their packaging is innovative and interesting, as well as provide necessary product and dosage information.
RELATED ARTICLE: 3 Tips for Boosting Your Marketing Strategy with Custom Labels
The following current trends in medical marijuana labeling can elevate your product to the next level.
High-Tech Advances
The cannabis market has dramatically expanded in the last several years to include oils for vaporization, edible goods, pills, lotions, and other types of products that require specific packaging. A Colorado-based company called Functional Remedies has developed a line of CBD products using lipid extraction to fully utilize the entire hemp plant, including tinctures, salves, and capsules.
Another new trend comes from CannaStrips, a company that has developed a cannabis strip that dissolves under the tongue.
Environmentally Friendly
Cannabis is marketed as an all-natural remedy, so many companies have focused on eco-friendly packaging to promote an environmentally conscious image. This packaging is often composed of sustainable materials, including hemp, cotton, and colored glass, which extends the potency of products by filtering UV light. Design methods can incorporate tree-free or recycled paper, plant-based inks and dyes, biodegradable adhesive, PLA film, and techniques like etching or embossing.
Health-Focused
To appeal to health-conscious consumers, companies are implementing the use of medical terminology and symbols in package design. Consumers want transparency, so they can determine the specific cannabis strain, its intended effects, the proper dosage, and whether it is meant to be used recreationally or medicinally. Prevent your labeling from coming across as sterile by accentuating the natural aspect of these products, using earth tones, verdant imagery, and terms like “organic” and “raw.”
Style and Minimalism
Ensure your product stands out from the competition by developing a label that exudes style, class, and luxury. Knowledgeable, professional consumers want sophisticated, contemporary designs with high-quality graphics. A minimalist approach is popular, including clean lines, geometric forms, and graceful typography. Compared to psychedelic designs of the past, today’s more discerning consumers prefer more subdued color palettes and geometric shapes.
Humorous Marketing
As a nod to its counterculture past, the packaging designs for cannabis products are employing puns and wordplay to embrace and poke fun at the common misconceptions associated with cannabis use. Edgier brands are putting their unique spins on the symbols and imagery traditionally associated with the taboo reputation of cannabis. Illustrate the newly relaxed attitude toward cannabis by including words like “baked” or “munchies” on your labels.
RELATED ARTICLE: Master Essential Oil Labeling with These 3 Tips
When developing the labels for your medical marijuana products, it is essential to create designs that appeal to a broad market of consumers with a variety of tastes and backgrounds. Contact Century Label today to discuss how you can incorporate these trends into your cannabis product packaging!
