The Leaf Volume 2 Issue 1 - The Wellness Issue
The Leaf is a guide to feeling good with cannabis - an in-house designed and curated magazine for one of San Diegos’ best dispensary Urbn Leaf. This publication includes new locations, tips and articles, interviews and hand selected featured products straight from the dispensary floor.
As the Lead Senior Graphic Designer at Urbn Leaf, I was tasked with the design of the second printed edition; which was also expanded into digital content across all social media channels for the dispensary. The main focus of the wellness edition was to highlight cannabis recipes as well as to help incorporate cannabis into part of your wellness routine in the new year of 2020. The Leaf builds on the Urbn Leaf visual brand and the brand’s efforts to destigmatize marijuana and bring it into the mainstream as legalization of recreational use expands across the country. Final magazine size was 5.38 in x 8.38 in. 30,000 copies of the publication were distributed to stores and various cannabis friendly companies around San Diego, as well as up and down the coast of California reaching the other store locations.
Role: lead designer, art direction, layout, print, editorial design, creative strategy, motion design + animation
Client: Urbn Leaf
Digital Online version available for viewing here.
Layout and grid: I created a grid of 3 columns that is is coherent throughout pages and future issues. I finalized the magazine pagination on the wall while designs were critiqued simultaneously. I rearranged pages and decided on the best flow of the magazine along side the Marketing Director and Creative Director at Urbn Leaf. I also printed out physical mockups for copy editing checks before sending to the final files to print and attending the press check myself.
Design and look: The Leaf design was meant to echo the Urbn Leaf brand; simple, modern, and high end. I used the same fonts in the Urbn Leaf brand guidelines I created as well as some fun display type faces on the article pages. I created a great balance of sticking to the Urbn Leaf brand and not going too far from it so it looks like an in-house magazine produced by Urbn Leaf.
Since the last page in the magazine was designed as tear out coupons, we included The Leaf in goodie bags we gave away to the first 420 guests at various events such as the grand opening of our Vista, CA location and our 4 year anniversary event at all locations.
Below to the right is a detail of the cover - I chose to highlight the Urbn Leaf Icon on the jar and The Leaf text with a spot UV during print production. The cover itself was printed with a soft touch in contrast to make the spot UV stand out when touched.
Social Media and Blog: All content was expanded into digital content across all social media channels for the dispensary as well as blog posts for the companies website.