Our Values + Design Concept 

We all exist in worlds within this world, but what unites us all is our love for cannabis.

Founded on three solid pillars of culture, community, and connection, the making of the Budtenders Association came to life, intending to empower budtenders both professionally and personally. We wanted to create a brand with an identity that spoke volumes about the diversity and inclusion of the many budtenders and industry professionals both provincially here in Canada, and nationally, across the globe.

Who we are

The concept, design & execution of the brand was envisioned by our team, crafting a unified image that captures the boundless demographics of budtenders & cannabis enthusiasts. We aim to connect cannabis enthusiasts across the country by making the landscape more accessible for budtenders, growers, researchers & novices taking their first step into the field.

The Use of Topography

The main design element in our branding is the use of Topography. Topography is the study of the shape and features of land surfaces. It is the field of geoscience and planetary science, concerning itself with local geographic details in the surrounding areas. By taking the imagery of topography at face value, it is closely related to maps, cartography, exploration & knowledge; all of this lends to the theme of learning through growth within the Budtenders Association.

The Font

The primary font we chose is called Kelly Bold. We went with a font that is sans serif, creating a balance between the complexities of the topography & the smoothness of the font. In typography and lettering, a sans-serif, gothic, or simply sans letterform is one that does not have extending features called "serifs" at the end of strokes. Sans-serif fonts tend to have less stroke width variation than serif fonts. They are often used to convey simplicity, modernity & minimalism.

For the body, we paired it with a simple modern font named Montserrat for a finished clean, professional look. Contrasted against a font such as Kelly Bold, a lightweight font like Montserrat. These fonts compliment one another seamlessly.

Our Colour Palette

We chose a colour palette featuring cool earth tones derived from rolling rice fields & expansive mountains. The goal was to select colours that were not too vibrant or muted, so we decided to toe the line between the two when selecting a palette. Ultimately, we came up with a colourful palette, reminiscent of a rainbow, where each & every colour explores the diversity & inclusivity of the Budtenders Association brand values while remaining fun & inviting for those who come across our brand.

The Final Results

We decided to marry all of the concepts, colour palette & font into one, producing an image that correlates with unity, change & knowledge. The use of topography within the logo signifies the individualism of each of our members through the unique shapes created when producing topographic maps. The geographical rings resemble radio frequencies when we spot & find others who resonate with our vision & the future of cannabis. We draw a map between ourselves, creating & carving out new leaders within the cannabis industry from one destination to the next.

Another aspect of our logo is that it resembles a fingerprint. The Budtenders Association wants to highlight the different talents each of our members possess while also showing individuality & visual interest for others to inquire what the organization is about. The absence of any cannabis symbolism is to encourage & usher in a different era of cannabis users who are cropping up in this newly built industry. This is not to say we do not want to be associated with things related to cannabis, we had a perspective that this logo will appeal to a wider audience that do not want to be viewed as the stereotypical cannabis user.

We like to view the Budtenders Association like a prism--it reflects the different colours of each one of our personalities when light is shown through it. With conceptual design thinking, we have re-imagined ourselves on a path where our brand’s vision encompasses every individual in the industry, from every walk of life.