The idea is based on the fact that people don’t really know what CBD stands for exactly. Sure, we know about the benefits and where it’s from, but what are the words behind the abbreviation again? (For those of you who have no idea: it's the active ingredient in hemp products that make you feel relaxed.) It’s just CBD, right? So why not play around with it and use the fact that it’s hard to pronounce or remember to our advantage.
CBD could stand for something technical. Something like Confirm Bank Details, or Collecting Border Duties.
But since this brand wanted something different and surprising, we had our imagination go broader than that. We came up with very surprising little sentences that CBD could stand for. And in the meantime we build the brand and infuse it with a relaxed character by not taking things too seriously.
We're using digital printing techniques that enable us to give every bottle its own expression and possible CBD suggestion. The labels will have a level of visual consistency too, by using bold typography and an extra 'anchor' label.
On the bottle, the addition of an extra label communicates that this is in fact CBD water.
Examples of more quirky, whimsical CBD abbreviations.
The ideas are actually endless. You’d think you quickly run out of sentences that CBD could stand for, but quite the opposite is true: the possibilities go on and on and on. Each new label is done by a different illustrator.
The sentences range from the poetic...
...to the political...
And they range from the absurd...
...to the subtle...
...and everything in between.
The back label shows the logo and brand name. Which is pretty much just CBD with more letters added to it: CBDH2O. Nice and straightforward, clean and simple.
Note: the bar codes contain a hemp signal too 😏
There's way more. We've only scratched the surface on the possible abbreviations. Imagine the illustrations that go with these:
Colonoscopy By DrSpock
Cow Bullying DarthVader
Christmas Bling Distaste
Contemptible Blimming Douchebag!!
Crook Between Druglords
Cleaning Broken Dishes
Creating Bizarre Didgeridoos
Canapés Before Dessert
Craziest Bollywood Dance
Cryptocurrency Bitcoin Devalued
Chilli Bean Disaster
Could Belgium Deteriorate?
Some examples of animations that we can play around with on social media.
The animations are part of a teaser campaign to get people wondering what those CBD letters stand for.
And there's the necessary swag for staff. Each employee can choose its most fitting CBD explanation (and size of course).
Now we know what CBD stands for: Cheeky Bottled Drink!
T E N Z I N G B R A N D S H E R P A
As a designer, I like to work with founder/partners who really care about their product and their brand. I help them create something that aligns with their aspirations and ideas as well as their business goals. That’s why I call myself Tenzing, the brand sherpa.
Thank you!