Qunubu is the name of the brand I created for my senior thesis. It started with a simple objective about value, and the ability to create a work of design that could encapsulate that term. How would I create work based off of just one term? Instead of doing a simple self based value I challenged myself to discover a bigger value outside of myself. That led me down a road that was brand new to most everyone. There I discovered how I could create a brand based off of the United States value system of marijuana, within the new legalization laws in Colorado. The moment I discovered this path I knew it would be challenging, but that did not deter me from moving forward. I took this project as an opportunity to show others how a well-constructed brand can change people’s perspective of a once illegal substance. Equivalent to a designer branding a bar or pub after alcohol prohibition ended.

Once I grasped my objective, the design started to fall into place, but I still needed a name. I didn’t want to ostracize marijuana as just another drug. I had to develop a name that didn’t scream “marijuana” in a way that would deter the new consumers, but rather lead them to see it in a new light. I discovered that ancient Assyrians using marijuana in religious ceremonies often called it “qunubu,” a probable origin of the word “cannabis.” Qunubu was the perfect name, honoring the origins of the plant, but also capable of changing the status quo.

After spending a lot of time researching packaging ideas, I decided to use 3D printing to create my own containers. The containers I ended up using were open source files that I edited and 3D printed. I chose to use a slant on the package to create a better flow and allow for a more interesting and economic design.

The last step was outfit my containers with the perfect design. I decided on a system which uses colors and geometric shapes to identify different strains of marijuana: Yellow octagons for Sativa, the energetic; Blue hexagons for Indica, the calm; Green circles for Hybrid, the mystery.