The cannabis industry was kind of like the Wild West. A highly desirable product with little regulation or quality assurance left consumers lost or hoodwinked by substandard products. Windward is the antidote. With high-quality, organic, lab-tested ingredients and ethical business practices, Windward is the real deal. I partnered with them to develop a brand and visual identity system and helped them tell that story at every touchpoint.

The Challenge

With so many CBD brands constantly popping up and dubiously making similar claims with no legitimacy, how would we stand out from the crowd? It’s a noisy marketplace where most companies are peddling the same product to a generalized audience, and that’s where I found an opportunity to differentiate.

The Approach

Most cannabis companies try to appeal to the largest audience possible with a focus on their product. To differentiate, I developed Windward as a lifestyle brand with a very specific segment of the market in mind. Market research revealed that the Windward customer values experiences over things, which led to the North Star: It’s not about the product, it’s about the experience.

Visual Identity System

The Windward audience lives for the outdoors, so we chose to position Windward as an outdoor lifestyle brand. Looking to the California landscape to inspire the design system was an easy choice and provided endless reference material to help develop a rich and unique brand.

Packaging

This is where it all came together. A robust color palette created an opportunity for distinct color families across different products, while the abstract landscape illustrations provided a beautiful canvas that let the content pop off the box and helped Windward products stand out on the shelf.