ADC Awards
The ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world. Now in its incredible 102nd year, these awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Category
Branding / Logo
Annual ID
ADC102_BCD015S
About the Work
Cannabis has long been thought of as an illegal, underground, solo activity. Few brands speak to its authentic use - a fun product that can bring people together with real social benefit. The legal limitations of marketing and selling cannabis in the US has divided the market regionally, with brands competing for market share before an assumed federal legislation. In short, the weed industry needs a national hero.
Now serving Butter: a Michigan-based vertically integrated cannabis brand that’s here to pass around that smooth, gooey, melty feeling to all (over 21). The mission is clear: spread a better way of life and become the first mainstream cannabis brand.
We chose iconicism over niche, and it had to start with the logo. We abstracted a butter stick to the point of pure simplicity: one bright yellow rectangle. In the US, it’s still illegal to market cannabis on some platforms, thus our mark became an effective marketing tool and a cheeky nod to censorship. Our packaging heroes the brand color: creating an immediately recognizable block across the shelf.
The typography system flexes in weight and width to describe each strain, from the excitedly thin sativa strains, to the thick and mindful indica varieties. Our detailed information design seeks to educate consumers by creating the “nutrition facts of cannabis”.Our art direction brings back the human element of sharing cannabis, with film photography taken at a lively favorite house party.
Butter launched in February 2022 with 20 strains that hit shelves all over Michigan. Success came thick and fast: selling out of first harvest in the first week, over 3 million digital impressions in the first 30 days, features in regional and national press, and 2 retail stores on the way, Butter is ready to take on the country and spread a better way of life.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 21
Silver Cube
Credits
Design Firm
CENTER / Brooklyn
Digital Agency
Houseof207
Copywriter
Kevin Batory
Creative Director
Alex Center
Photographer
Alex Brown
Strategist
Marisa Zupan
Design Director
Andrew Galloway
Project Manager
Madeline Beard
Senior Designer
Pete Freeman
Stylist
Julie Rose
Videographer
Palmer Durr
Founder
Chris Klamkin
Head of Brand
Brad Golding
Managing director
Ashleigh Bowring
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