Pre-rolls are the small cylinders of joy. You can hardly disagree that they are your brand’s identity and energy, spiraled tightly into little paper cones. However, your identity and energy can be instantly shattered unless you get your pre-roll labels right.
Labels are your packaging stage curtains and headliners. Done right, they can stick in one’s memory and increase the appeal of your legit smokables. But when you custom-make a pre-roll label, it isn’t a quick and easy kind of deal. It’s a combination of legal precision and design creativity that may be hard for cannabis brands to pull off.
Custom-create pre-roll labels while considering compliance
When designing a pre-roll label, you should start with creative choices and finish with compliance that doesn’t drain your brand’s uniqueness. A great label should be both legal and memorable. This is the only way to custom-create pre-roll labels that connect and convert.
Here are the aspects you’ll want to take into account as you work on your labels.
Make use of every inch
You don’t get much space to let your creative juices flow with pre-roll labels. It’s like trying to paint a mural on a shipping box. Yet, somehow, some brands manage to turn that tiny space into a compelling attention-grabber.
Think long and hard about your colors, shapes, and typeface to make sure each element is doing double-duty. The shape of your pre-roll labels may let you specify more things than just a strain name, and you can turn it to your advantage.
Typography that speaks volumes
Legibility is mandatory. To make a pre-roll label that will not force your customers to narrow their eyes, go for:
- Serif fonts
- Retro hand-lettering style
- Metallic foil
Your font is your brand’s voice. You can make it anything but standard, but you will never want to make it unreadable. A pre-roll label that takes two squints and a magnifying glass to see what it says is a disaster waiting to happen. And your customers shouldn’t have to decode hieroglyphics when choosing their smokables.
Plunge into color theory
Avoid neon green, hot pink, blood-red accents, or beige with off-white lettering to prevent your brand from being associated with disappointment. Instead, you can use:
- Earthy tones for the meditative mood linked to your pre-rolls
- Moderately blue or green to promote tranquility
- Black or white (if using other colors contradicts your packaging style)
Psychedelic gradients may only work for recreational product collections designed for interstellar dreamers.
Shapes that go beyond the rectangle
It isn’t obligatory for all labels to be rectangular. Custom pre-roll labels may be designed with curves, die cuts, perforations, or unexpected folds. When unusual shapes are paired with peel-and-reveal layers or other extraordinary features, they work better for capturing attention.
It’s important, though, to take a step back and check label design regulations in your state. If rectangles are the only allowed shape, go with it without experimentation.
Don’t skip a back label
Too many cannabis brands skip the flip side. However, that’s valuable territory that can be used to tell more about your strains or brand. Better yet, a back label can be turned into a tiny surprise your customers didn’t expect. It may cover:
- Fun facts about cannabis, terpenes, and flavors
- Tips on how to smoke it
- A personal touch to enhance indulgence sessions
These tiny extras make a big impression.
Materials that make your pre-rolls look expensive
When a user holds your pre-rolled creation in a tube, what do you want them to feel? Encourage them to chase luxury experiences with the following label materials:
- Slick vinyl
- Textured kraft paper
- Soft-touch matte paper
You can’t say you care about quality and hand someone a flimsy tube with a low-grade sticker. Your label should feel like it belongs to something worth sparking up.
When you custom-make a pre-roll label, it’s worth making it waterproof and scratch-resistant. Consider finishes like lamination or UV coatings. Yes, they cost more money, but replacing an entire batch because the ink ran off is even more expensive.
Stickers that stick
A pre-roll label isn’t necessarily good, even if it looks good. A beautiful design that peels off in ten minutes can wreak havoc on the appeal of your packaging and cannabis product.
Your adhesive should be chosen based on the packaging material, be it a glass container or a plastic tube. Not all stickers and adhesives do well with all surfaces. Always test your labels in real-world conditions in various environments, including cold storage, dispensary shelves, and sunlight.
Speak human, not corporate
Make pre-roll labels that don’t sound like legal disclaimers in disguise. Yes, some text must be formal. But the rest is your golden space to connect with customers and make them nod.
Instead of the “High-Quality Cannabis Product” label, how about:
Grown under the sun and stars and rolled while caring about your experience.
It sounds more professional and personal.
Labels that obey the law (without looking like it)
Yes, you’re required to specify legal things like the THC percentage, strain name, batch number, warnings, and license info. But it doesn’t have to look like DMV paperwork.
Display the required information clearly, but make it feel like part of the custom label design. Use visual hierarchy to prioritize the important things and keep the rest visible. QR codes? Blend them in so they do not stick out.
It’s possible to follow the rules and make your pre-roll labels appealing. Compliance doesn’t have to kill your brand’s energy.
Make pre-roll labels with MYLARMEN
You’ve made it this far because you care about what goes on your packaging and products. You want to create pre-roll labels to break the mold without breaking regulations. But unless you moonlight as a packaging design specialist, you’ll need a partner to support you.
At MYLARMEN, we know how cannabis packaging and labeling work. We speak the language of texture, design, and finish for pre-rolls and other products. We have experienced teams to create custom labels for your collections and ensure compliance without exceptions.