As cannabis enterprises once relegated to the black market develop into state-sanctioned retail businesses, branding and marketing consultants now see this industry as a ripe opportunity to apply their expertise in illuminating cannabis as a legitimate consumer good.
Ann Arbor-area creative agency Studio 32 lends techniques honed in the marketing, film and photography spaces to the cannabis industry. The group, consisting of Franz Vorenkamp, Harold Montgomery and Dennis Scherdt, has recently been working with Treecity Health Collective on creative assets across the board to forge a distinct visual brand identity. Studio 32’s prowess is readily apparent not only in Treecity’s social media material, but also in the look and feel of the dispensary and its products.
Creative Director Franz Vorenkamp’s cinematography experience lends itself to creating divergent videos and motion graphics like levitating nuggets spinning in space. ”A lot of our photography and styling is taken with an approach to a cinematic look” Vorenkamp explained. “We go for a National Geographic quality, where sharpness and extreme detail are things that we aim for.”
Collaborators with food-styling backgrounds arrange decadent depictions of edibles, far cries from the image of a rice krispy treat shoddily wrapped in cellophane. The team’s approach to different products notably manifests itself in the careful overhead lighting of concentrates, giving the distillate a radiant glow emphasizing the product’s potency and quality.
As the industry advances month-by-month, the emphasis on quality visual assets will grow into a necessity for acquiring and retaining patients. Studio 32’s work showcasing the quality of the experience and medicine at Treecity is quickly becoming the new standard in legitimate cannabis. Expect dispensaries that understand this new truth to emerge as ambassadors developing the industry.
