Union Electric
From bud to bloom: How we built the “Carhartt on acid” of DTC cannabis brands, in just four months
From a Friday afternoon call with a past client to a fast tracked brand hitting the DTC cannabis market in California within 4 months. Union Electric is Carhartt on acid for the cannabis consumer.unionelectric.co
@joinunionelectric
Disciplines
NamingBrand Strategy
Tone of Voice
Packaging Design
Web Design
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Content Creation
Team
Anthony CappettaRobert Medkeff
Rob Hubbert
Partners
Mari Juliano 📷Brian Kelley 📷
Simone Faoro 📷
The Brief
When the call came in, we had no idea how the fast-paced task would go but the brief was simple, “We want a brand that’s like Carhartt on acid”.
With plenty of trust from the client we dove into naming and creating a brand that already had product growing and waiting for packaging. We started with a clear foundational idea ‘Premium Cannabis—Fairly Priced’ and from there Union Electric was born.
Once the name was locked, we were able to quickly establish the core equities and work iteratively through packaging, web and communications to, overtime, build a brand that now sits amougst the top cannabis brands in California.
When the call came in, we had no idea how the fast-paced task would go but the brief was simple, “We want a brand that’s like Carhartt on acid”.
With plenty of trust from the client we dove into naming and creating a brand that already had product growing and waiting for packaging. We started with a clear foundational idea ‘Premium Cannabis—Fairly Priced’ and from there Union Electric was born.
Once the name was locked, we were able to quickly establish the core equities and work iteratively through packaging, web and communications to, overtime, build a brand that now sits amougst the top cannabis brands in California.
The Common Man's Daily Psychoactive
In April 2020 Union Electric launched their first product — mixed light flower in 1/8 ounce bags. 1 ounce bags followed shortly and the product family saw rapid growth in the next couple of years.
We used color gradients to represent the different strain types (indica, sativa and hybrid) across the packaging, ensuring a level of visual punch that helped the bags stand out on shelf.
The logo alongside the gradients represents the psycodelic side of the brand while the supporting industrial typography would fit in perfectly in a hardwear store or bowling alley.
In April 2020 Union Electric launched their first product — mixed light flower in 1/8 ounce bags. 1 ounce bags followed shortly and the product family saw rapid growth in the next couple of years.
We used color gradients to represent the different strain types (indica, sativa and hybrid) across the packaging, ensuring a level of visual punch that helped the bags stand out on shelf.
The logo alongside the gradients represents the psycodelic side of the brand while the supporting industrial typography would fit in perfectly in a hardwear store or bowling alley.
Collective Power
From Carhartt on acid to Union Electric.
The brand represents more than just a product. We leaned heavily into the union mantra of “Collective Power” (a synonym of Union Electric) to create a world that empowers our consumer and brings them into the brand in a unique way.
From Carhartt on acid to Union Electric.
The brand represents more than just a product. We leaned heavily into the union mantra of “Collective Power” (a synonym of Union Electric) to create a world that empowers our consumer and brings them into the brand in a unique way.
Launching a brand in the beginning of the pandemic was no easy feat. As UE built momentum in 2020, the need to diversify the offering was obvious. So in 2021 the focus leaned to product expansion and Pre-Rolls, Ready-to-Roll and Outdoor were launched.
