Your logo is not just the face of your business; it’s the foundation around which you build your brand’s success. A simple swoosh. A multicolored G. A stylized M. An apple with a bite. As soon as we see these logos, we can name the respective companies they stand for. That’s the power of a unique, custom logo design. People don’t see the swoosh and think of any regular sportswear products; they think about Nike and its sneakers. It’s not just any burger or burrito that comes to our mind when we see the giant golden M, it’s the Big Mac or the Happy Meal with toys and the clown mascot.
Why Do You Need a Customized Weed Logo?
Nike and McDonald’s are two of the biggest brands in the world, but they didn’t achieve this position or success overnight. They put in a lot of time, effort and brains into being what they are today. All of the topmost brands in the world have a strong marketing strategy, which includes a unique, memorable logo. Consider what people might think about you or your brand as soon as they see your weed logo? Is it powerful enough to make them think something positive about the products you offer? Or, is it generic enough to make them think about weed or marijuana in general?
Remember, your logo determines how customers will perceive your brand as a whole. This is significant, particularly when it’s competing against a huge number of similar companies looking for ways to distinguish themselves. Before you choose a logo that well represents your brand, you need to first identify and demonstrate the purpose of your business, what it aims for, and why it exists. No matter the design for your weed or marijuana logo, focus on creating one that’s relatable, meaningful, and conveys trust and professionalism. Once you have built that image, you’re one step closer to success.
History and symbolism of the Weed Logo
The typical cultural concept about cannabis has changed tremendously in the past two decades. What was once considered completely illegal or hush hush is now used for medicinal purposes and is often the jovial subject of many Netflix shows. With the sweeping movement for legalization of marijuana in the United States for adult recreational and medical use, the idea of cannabis has changed a lot. The marijuana or weed logo carries a long history, and those interested in using it as their brand identity must be aware of it.
Note: Weed is the other name for marijuana/marihuana, and also for other things like cannabis, hashish, pot, kush, 420, Mary Jane, ganja, green, dope, bud, cheeba, reefer, sticky icky, puff, chronic, and wacky tobaccy (or whacky tabacky). These were code words or nicknames for cannabis because it was illegal for so long in America. Hemp and cannabis both come from the same plant named cannabis sativa.
The existence of this plant in human lives dates back beyond the hippie movement of the 1960s. Cannabis, or Cannabis Sativa, have been harvested by humans far back into ancient times. Apparently, humans enjoyed the psychoactive properties of the plant for several thousands of years beyond record.
One can find early images of the marijuana leaf in several prehistoric texts from across the world. While the Byzantine Empire examined the plant from a scientific angle in the year 515 AD, the Egyptians used it in hieroglyph form and the Chinese created an emblem for it. The marijuana leaf has been a part of different cultures, highlighting the benefits of this plant for its harvesters. As recreational psychoactive use of this plant became more poignant in the 1900s, the icon became more common. Nowadays, the cannabis leaf symbol is widely recognized as any other notable brand icon in the world.
A Statement of Rebellion
One of the primary concepts that the marijuana leaf is associated with is that of rebellion. For times immemorial, marijuana or cannabis use was looked down upon by the society. Even those who engaged in the use or distribution of cannabis recreationally would be regarded as misfits or outcasts. For ages, it was strictly prohibited to have marijuana in possession, forget about consuming it to get high.
There was a common misconception that marijuana consumers are generally sluggish, careless, and unproductive. There was a perpetual cultural stigma to ban marijuana use and discourage adults and teens from recreational marijuana consumption. As a matter of fact, possessing or using marijuana was one of the most rebellious things that one could do. It signified that you did not care about the society and you would consume it anyway. It also meant that you did not respect the law and cared more about your own happiness. The marijuana leaf has been a staple symbol for those who reject conventionality and adopt a more individualized way of life.
Even with successful legalization attempts across the country, the leaf symbol still conveys a rebellious idea. Those who use the weed logo for their fashion or dispensary store often seek to challenge the conservative rules of mainstream society.
Communal Feeling
There’s a long prevalent idea that the cannabis plant could induce a feeling of community (those with similar social views could gather together). If you’re looking for peers or customers like you who don’t go by mainstream societal rules, a weed or marijuana logo can be a great way to connect. It conveys a strong message about your idea of a counterculture. A lot of people believe that it helps them escape the stress of daily life and connect to a different state of consciousness.
Hence, having a weed logo will show that you have a unique way of perceiving the world. Any marijuana-related symbol can do the trick, from a simple cannabis leaf to a hand holding smoking marijuana.
4 Tips to Create a Unique Weed Logo
- Know Your Consumers
The cannabis industry is extensive, with a wide range of products to serve a varying range of consumers. Avoid pitching your products to the entire marketplace. Instead, focus on identifying your niche customers, understanding their needs and providing them with the best quality of products. When you know your target customers, it becomes easier for you to create an influential weed logo and other important marketing materials to resonate with them.
- Select the Right Colors
Choosing the right color palette is a crucial part of your weed logo design process. Green is the perfect choice as it carries earthly vibes and resonates well with nature. Nevertheless, you can always deviate from this normal trend to choose muted and nude colors to create a unique trademark that’ll make heads turn. No matter what color scheme you select, make sure that it matches your business, and other crucial graphic elements of the logo. It’s better to use only one or two colors to avoid making your logo look too busy or congested.
- Choose the Right Font
It’s important to remember that every font has its own tone and personality, which will certainly impact your brand’s identity. Based on which font you choose, it can boost or hamper your company’s reputation. Some of the most common typography used in marijuana logos are sans-serif, serif, and cursive fonts. For those who want to portray their brand as quaint and modern, sans-serif font is the best choice. While serif font will induce a sense of tradition toward your brand, the use of cursive font will give your logo a classy and feminine touch. Most importantly, pick a font that is easily readable across all advertising mediums.
- Decide on the Right Symbol
The iconic leaf is the typical symbol used across the cannabis industry. Since a lot of entrepreneurs have already used it, you need to be innovative with your design. Work with a professional graphic designer or design agency to use a novel icon that will draw instant attention and evoke curiosity among the onlookers. Aside from the leaf, you can consider using a truck symbol for your delivery cannabis business, cross for medicinal cannabis trading, and smoke to promote recreational cannabis. If you’re still keen on using the iconic leaf, talk to your logo designer to create something different from the crowd. Remember that your weed logo should be in sync with your brand and business ethics.
Awesome Weed Logo Design Ideas
The typical weed logo that we often come across includes a green marijuana leaf symbol. It is a 5–7 pointed leaf in a customary green color. While this is a readily relatable symbol, it can also make your brand look similar to thousands of other cannabis companies in the market. What’s more, this design is often associated with former perceptions of the industry when weeds or cannabis weren’t legal in the US.
Simply speaking, it’s hard to make your cannabis brand stand amongst the crowd if you choose to use an ordinary marijuana leaf in a boring shade of green. Logo designs based on trends often fail to impress the audience because they’re basic or average. While a new bunch of cannabis businesses are still using the basic marijuana leaf symbol, they’re doing it in an interesting way. Here are a few examples of such unique weed logos.
- Bloom Farms
Bloom Farms features an abstract, linear marijuana leaf in their logo that deserves attention. Although it’s unusual to use a brand symbol bigger than its name, this logo looks quite balanced because the icon has the same width as the wording and the all-caps letters in the wordmark are of the same height. This gives a clean and flexible layout to the company logo.
- Hashed
Although the Hashed cannabis emblem uses a simple leaf symbol, it has a clean and fresh appeal unlike the regular weed logos seen around. Featuring a bold all-caps wordmark and a tight layout that gives full focus on the leaf-inspired emblem, this logo is both unique and versatile.
- Cannadis
This vibrant well-balanced logo definitely reminds us of the Canadian flag. The simple, easy-to-read font with a marijuana leaf symbol placed to the right makes the logo unique. The symbol is in perfect harmony with the wordmark, making the logo both memorable and scalable — which means the logo design can be used in both large and small sizes across various platforms.
- The Canna Farmacy
Simple, quirky, and stylish, the Canna Farmacy logo is not like any other regular design in the cannabis industry. Although there’s no leaf motif, the wordmark compensates for the same. The brand name is long, but the designer has tactfully stacked it in a tight layout and slanted the word “the” to draw attention of the audience. This is a perfect example of strong visual hierarchy. The typeface is scalable and easy-to-read, with unusual slants and curves that make the brand look high-end.
- Marley Natural
The three elements of The Marley Natural logo are: a wordmark, a monogram (M), and a symbol. Since the logo can be used in both horizontal and vertical directions, it is suitable for use on various packages and platforms. Although the basic color palette is black-and-white, it features three colored dots (red, yellow, and green) that stand for Bob Marley and Rasta culture. The wordmark is neat with a hand-sketched lion icon (to depict the legend of Bob Marley) and a modish monogram.
- Tokyo Smoke
The most notable features of this cannabis logo are its squared-off oval shape and the wordmark arranged vertically. The bold red shade and vertical alignment make the logo memorable when it features on posters, signboards, and product packaging. Although the typeface is thin, which makes scaling difficult; the bold red symbol can be used alone with the wordmark to its right. The sleek and high-end logo design is a perfect match for the Canadian cannabis brand with stores across the country.
- Wana
The Wana logo design has an optimistic and nature-centric approach, seemingly fusing the symbolism of the leaf, a lotus flower and sunrise in a single layout. For those who don’t know that Wana trades in marijuana-infused products, it’s almost impossible to decipher the significance of the leaf motif!
- WoahStork
Animal inspired designs are always a winner, especially when it comes to marijuana logos. WoahStork, for example, is an online marketplace for cannabis businesses that opted for a stork. The bird is culturally associated with the idea of delivery! Most importantly, its marijuana leaf inspired wings add a touch of acceptance and reliability to the brand.
Final Thoughts on custom weed logo design,
As cannabis and cannabis products become more mainstream and serve a broader range of audience, brands in this industry need to make their mark while also clearly conveying their product details, legal age limits and safety warning associated with its usage. We hope this blog has proved useful in giving you an insight into these unconventional logos and how they can help boost your brand identity.
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Business Development Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Media and Digital marketing sector, Passionate about innovation and bringing the future into new business solutions.
