When Minnesota lawmakers legalized the sale of THC-infused products back in July, our friends at St. Paul’s Studio On Fire [projects / website], who already produce packaging for several cannabis products, saw a great opportunity to branch out into THC beverages, too. To demonstrate their ability to create sophisticated packaging for this whole new market, in-house designers dreamed up “Iconic,” a THC-beverage concept around which they crafted premium packaging to show off their printing and finishing techniques. What they came up with is nothing short of stunning.
Already known nationwide for their exquisite letterpress and foil work, as well as an almost excruciating eye for detail, Studio On Fire brought their “A” game here.
Starting with Neenah Folding Board Deep Black [PaperSpecs PRO members: Get Free Swatchbook!], they got things rolling with a highly detailed sculptural emboss of a cannabis leaf that takes up a good two-thirds of the front of the telescoping lid; it even wraps around the sides, too!
And when I say “detailed,” I mean you can clearly see the contours of each part of the leaf. Not only does the Black-on-Black foil and emboss illustration appear soothing to the eye, but it also feels soothing to the touch – just what you want in a product meant to calm the nerves and lighten the spirits.
On the very top of the lid, a superfine pattern in the Gold foil leaf continues this emphasis on the eye for detail in even the little things. Those tiny details all contribute to the packaging’s overall impression of premium quality.
And because branding is everything, they hot foil stamped the “Iconic” product logo in Gold above the words “cannabis-infused cocktail.” But this being Studio On Fire, they couldn’t just leave it at that, no. If you look at it closely, the registration between the two colors of foil stamping and the embossing is such that parts of the Black leaf actually appear to be poking through and hanging over the logo, covering some of the Gold letters, and flat-out overlapping others! Now that’s precise!
Like the lid, the bottom half of the box is a folding carton that ships flat, popping into shape with a quick squeeze of the corners, thanks to clever construction that brings 4 die-cut tabs together with an audible “snap.”
This part of the box features a superfine pattern throughout, boosting the haptic experience while lending it visual appeal. Bonus points for working their paper and production partners’ credits into the design in such a way as to appear tasteful and on-brand, rendering them in fine Gold foil.
Sliding the top half of this piece over the bottom creates a stunning final package…almost. That’s because there’s one final piece: a holographic foil label that can be applied to seal the top and bottom. A handy “Place label here” spot on each ensure precise and consistent positioning. The labels’ descriptions, color and artwork are customized depending on the beverage inside, showcasing how a company can print the beautiful box in bulk – bringing the per-piece cost down – so that it can be used for all the company’s THC beverages.
Even if you’re not in the cannabis business, this piece is sure to inspire some of you to seriously consider getting into it. Or take a leaf (pun intended) out of Studio On Fire’s book and use aspects of it to customize or enhance your own marketing materials.
There’s no question that hot foil stamping lends an elegance and sophistication to premium packaging. But did you know there are several different ways you can get the luster of foil, even on short print runs? If you’ve downloaded our famous Foil Cheat Sheet, you do. If you haven’t, what are you waiting for – download it right now for free.
This is truly stunning, tasteful work. All my compliments to the designer! I have one question, though: it wasn’t very clear to me what the bottom half’s pattern is. Is it debossed?
Yes, Branda – foil accents and debossed 🙂