Northern State

Helping a cannabis company hit the market fast.

Context

A passionate founder came to us to create a spec cannabis brand, ready to launch when legalization came to Minnesota. Knowing the brand wouldn’t live in aging drug-culture cliches, we held focus groups to hear from people open to cannabis’ benefits but ostracized by classic weed culture.

Challenge

How do we cut through decades of misinformation and tap into a market that’s cautiously curious to get comfortable with cannabis?

Connection

We developed Northern State from the ground up to act as a guide that helps people figure out where cannabis fits into their lives. With a sense of exploration and mystique at every expression, Northern State is ready to rewrite the rules of cannabis.

We created a brand that feels timeless, drawing from surrealism and 1920s luxury. The logo mark merges a silhouette with a staircase, alluding to the way Northern State can tap into the subconscious mind and unlock creativity.

We used bold geometric shapes to create scenes inspired by optical illusions, personal enlightenment, and unlocking mystical doorways.

Northern State is a euphoric place for inspiration, creativity, and relaxation, with rich royal hues that feel calm and classic.

While we wait for marijuana legalization to catch up, we developed apparel to bring Northern State into the world in other ways.

With photography, we translated elements from the visual identity into a hyper-stylized environment, bringing the mysterious and elevated feel of the brand to life.