'Medible' Packaging: A Piece of Bliss Has a Posse

In the state of California, medicinal marijuana is legal when prescribed by a doctor--and so are medical marijuana dispensaries, where patients who wish to avoid the negative health effects of smoking have their pick of food and drinks infused with cannabis. This gave twenty year-old college student Kathryn Masuoka an idea--why not put her baking skills to work in creating a line of homemade medicinal marijuana edibles?

Thus did Kathryn and her best friend create A Piece of Bliss, full of goodies like chocolate-covered strawberry brownies, candy, and banana bread--all infused with cannabis oil and/or cannabis tinctures. While A Piece of Bliss is still in its infancy, as far as the business goes, Kathryn had taken note that most 'medibles' in state-approved marijuana dispensaries came in boring packaging that did little to distinguish them. As a person who takes pride in what she bakes, she knew she wanted her goodies to stand out.

Towards that end, Kathryn figured custom stickers were worth a shot--and after some time spent on Google, she was impressed by how inexpensive they were to produce. Her packaging design draws inspiration from well-known street artist Shepard Fairey's "Andre the Giant" stickers, while speaking to the good vibes and relaxation products her baked goods are known to produce.

"I'm not an experienced sticker-maker by any means, so I wasn't really sure what to expect," she told us. "But the day I received those stickers, I was a very happy girl, let me tell you."

You can find A Piece of Bliss on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Blogspot. (Just search A Peace of Bliss)

Temecula Wedding Photographer Patrick Anibaldi: Stickers That Take the Cake

Anyone who's ever gone through the effort and expense of a wedding--plus, of course, the joy and beauty--knows that, in the end, it's all about the pictures. The right wedding photographer can make all the difference, and in Temecula, California, that photographer is Patrick Anibaldi.

Anibaldi's photographic style is creative, fun, and artistic. Rather than settling for the basic, canned shots, Anibaldi focuses on capturing the moments and emotions of a wedding as they unfold, creating a visual narrative that speaks for itself. He's been photographing weddings since 2007 and reports that he's fallen in love with both the technical and artistic sides of it. To Anibaldi, a great wedding is not necessarily a "Platinum Wedding" (i.e., one with a lot of bling) but one that has a "real-life love story begging to be told."

When customers work with Anibaldi, one of the final products they receive is a collection of wedding images on a CD. While the disk itself may not look like much, it is, in many ways, priceless--so the packaging materials need to help convey the value of the product. In order to accomplish this, Anibaldi knew he needed high-quality custom stickers.

Why Custom Sticker Makers? "I can upload my own design and choose the size of sticker I want," said Anibaldi. "Plus, ordering through the website is simple and the quality of the stickers is top-notch!"

Brand-Building: POM Wonderful Packaging

By now, just about everyone has seen the distinctive labels and packaging of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice. But have you ever stopped to consider exactly what it is that gives their products such visual appeal?

A recent interview with Lynda Resnick (aka the POMQueen) on Brandmix got me thinking. First, the shape of their bottle imitates the curves of the pomegranate fruit, giving it some stand-out power among beverages. Secondly, the logo featured on their packaging imitates those attractive curves with a spacious, confident font that substitutes a heart for the ‘O’ in POM. That, plus the ‘Wonderful’ tells you something right off the bat: whatever it is in this unusual bottle, you’re going to love it.

This makes plenty of sense in terms of a focus for this brand, because prior to its entry in supermarkets everywhere, almost no one (other than the foodies) had any idea what a pomegranate was. POM's logo and packaging works to overcome that objection right away: it doesn’t matter whether you know what it is. People love this stuff. It’s wonderful.

For everyone who works with labels and logos in selling products, there’s an object lesson here. What’s your ideal customer’s single biggest objection to purchasing your product? And how can you work to address this (or negate it) with the feel, focus and aesthetic of your packaging and label design?

Bebe Dulce: Sweet Stuff Babies & Moms

Bebe Dulce means “sweet baby” and Bebe Dulce carries some of the sweetest stuff for babies and Moms you’re likely to find anywhere. Started by Claire Eads of Aspen, CO, in the fall of 2008, the Bebe Dulce line of appliquéd onesies, pacifier clips, princess tutus and gifts for Moms is now sold in 25 stores in four states, and has also been written up on the Gerber Babies blog, Aspen Peak Magazine, and Austin Kidbits, to name just a few.

For a company that took its first babysteps amid the economic blackout of 2008, Bebe Dulce has prospered to a surprising degree. It seems that even in a down economy, people are still looking for unique baby-stuff that’s supersoft and easy to clean. But stylish and innovative branding in the form of custom stickers doesn’t seem to have hurt this start-up, either: Bebe Dulce uses custom stickers to add their logo and information to all of their gift bags—as labels on their body relaxation products—and even to seal their gift wrapping!

“I choose CSM for our sticker needs because you are reliable and fast,” said Claire Eads. “Typically, I need my stickers in a hurry. I just add a note on my order of when I need it and it is always here!”