The Challenge
The psychedelic space has become flooded with brands that are either cold and clinical, or trippy and expected. There's a massive worldwide stigma around psychedelics that hails from a multi-decade propaganda movement by the US government and other governmental institutions throughout the world. These movements spread misinformation and hysteria, halting the research and medicinal progress of these life-saving ancient medicines. Now, they can no longer keep these medicines a secret. Studies are showing unfathomable results, incomparable to any modern medicine when applied to individuals with treatment-resistant depression, crippling anxiety, and even drug addiction. The stigma that has plagued these medicines for a century continues to do so today, keeping them from millions of people in need. Working closer with the founder Sara Budwhani - we set out to create an identity that builds credibility and educates, while staying true to the magical moments psychedelic mushrooms can provide.
The Solution
We crafted a brand that packs a punch in a subdued fashion. The simplistic design system focuses on intentional use of gradients to draw attention to magical moments. Beginning with the logo, we cranked the weight and italics to the max, setting forth a logotype that feels like a gentle piggyback ride through Monterey Pop Festival. It’s soft, retro, and charming - invoking a feeling of dense nostalgia. The brand symbol is a stylized smiley to match the logotype, in all of its husky glory.
The brand colors are primarily black and white, with soft gradients to serve as the gestalt to our “magic” moments throughout a given execution. We place heavy emphasis on the use of typography, mixing bold sans serifs and stubby serifs to draw the ultimate contrast and balance.
The identity system influenced our execution in their psilocybin truffle tea "Happy Tea" and informed our experiential design with events. Focusing on education, Microdose Together uses an approachable but whimsical tone to surprise and delight while consuming informative content about psilocybin, self care, and social rituals. Mush love!
