Petra

Designer: Christopher Simmons
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Kiva Confections
Location: United States
Packaging Contents: Cannabis-Infused Mints
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Tin
Printing Process: Metal Lithography

Petra is the newest offering from Kiva Confections, a cannabis edibles company that made it’s name creating high-end medicated chocolate. For this line of microdosing mints we wanted to create a look that was consistent with the branding of their existing products, but also unique in character.

We designed everything for this product—from the logo, to the packaging form factor, to the package design, to the mints themselves.

The colors of each tin express their flavors—cool blue for Eucalyptus, soft green for Moroccan Mint, etc. (the other two flavors pictured haven’t been released yet). The patterns are derived from the countries where these flavor profiles are indigenous. It’s a simple, playful, meaningful, and infinitely scalable system.

Designing for the cannabis industry is a specialized field. Regulations are strict with each jurisdiction, but vary widely from state to state. Besides the regulatory obligations, we (and our client) place a high value of safety and transparency. It was important that both the package and the product be identified clearly as cannabis. It was important that the package be securely sealed on purchase while remaining elegant and attractive to a mature audience. Because legal cannabis is an emerging category, the visual cues that consumers rely on to quickly identify other products (whiskey vs. vodka vs. tequila, for example) don’t yet exist. Beyond that, the tension between positioning the product as medicine, a recreational substance, and a high-end confection is important to balance. In the latter case, the complexities are compounded by the fact that the FDA does not regulate cannabis, so there are no guidelines or requirements when it comes to listing ingredients, nutritional information, etc.

Against that backdrop, Petra is a very small (pocket sized) package, that has to quickly communicate the brand name and the parent brand name, what it is (mints), the fact that it is cannabis, the strength of the cannabis, (2.5mg is an uncommonly low strength that is coming to be known as “microdosing”), the strain of cannabis, the flavor, regulatory warnings, ingredients, nutrition facts, suggested dosage, and some “sizzle copy”.