Our design approach for Hive centered on building trust in a crowded CBD market through rigorous transparency and potency. We emphasized clean, minimal design that avoids marketing jargon and over-hyped claims, ensuring everything felt straightforward, effective, and anchored in scientific data. The goal was to communicate Hive’s mission clearly and authentically.
Hive’s photography includes three distinct styles: product/e-commerce, lifestyle, and editorial. Product shots are clean and bright, with minimal shadows that allow the products to take center stage. Lifestyle photography is natural and warm, showcasing athletes and active people in everyday settings. Editorial photography is strong and graphic, using black-and-white imagery, strong shadows, and cropped body parts to evoke a feeling of strength and emotion without being overly posed or gimmicky.
The packaging features a bold color palette and design elements that convey the potency of the products, while the clean aesthetic underscores the brand’s trustworthiness. The bee symbol, a key secondary brand element, is inspired by the use of Manuka honey in the formulations and mirrors the pattern of the CBD molecule, reinforcing the brand’s ingredient-driven mission.
Hive’s e-commerce website, built on Shopify, provides a seamless shopping experience alongside comprehensive educational resources. The site showcases product test results and offers in-depth information, empowering users to make well-informed decisions about CBD. A landing video brings Hive’s mission to life, connecting with visitors on a personal level.
In a market saturated with CBD topicals, we set out to create a sophisticated and elegant identity that would stand out in the high-end luxury cannabis space, as well as in consumer retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue
