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4/20 @ Simply:
MY FIRST BIG EVENT AS IN-HOUSE DESIGNER
Jan - April 2026 | 216 E. Milwaukee St. Detroit, MI 48202
This work has been created as part of my job at Simply Loud Cannabis Co, a local and black-owned Detroit dispensary in the heart of New Center. Anyone who works in the cannabis industry knows that April 20th, also known as 4/20, is like the 7/11 Slurpee Day for weed consumers. This is our store’s biggest day of the year, and because our brand presence last year was not where it needed to be, I wanted to work with my current managers to develop new merchandise and a unique visual identity to match, and also take it upon myself to use our growing social media presence on Instagram, the upcoming new merchandise items, and my in-store signage to build a unique brand identity for what I decided to call “The Loudest 420 Party in the D”, with giveaways, food trucks, merchandise, and more.
Deliverables:
Social Media Content & Reels || In-Store Motion Signage || Printed Flyers & Signage || Product Merchandise
Developing the Merchandise Brand Identity
I started developing ideas in January and did majority of design work in March, after recieving examples of what our higher-ups wanted and being given a limited time to essentially recreate their AI-generated merchandise assets. I personally do not use AI-generated assets in any part of my work or process, including copywriting and background footage, (yes, I actually write all this,) so I communicated to my superiors that I didn’t suggest using AI-generated assets, as they are not protected under copywright law, and sent my ideas that I had previously worked on. However, they just asked me to try and recreate the AI assets as closely as I could, since they liked the look of them. I understood that this was a business decision, and while I could have my opinions, it didn’t matter how I felt about AI: that’s what the owners wanted.
As for the Digital Side of the Campaigns...
When it came to the Instagram, however, I had almost total freedom to plan my virtual campaign for our 420 event. So, I wanted to start hyping it up visually on April 1st, and plan out the grid with graphics that highlight our budtenders, so our new followers scrolling through our account can see some familiar faceswhen they come in for 4/20. I also combine these edited photos with authentic, lightly-edited reviews from our store’s Google page about specific budtenders, so they connect the positive review with the person who got it.
To Be Continued...
Working in the Detroit community and being able to contribute meaningful design materials to a place I enjoy shopping and working at is a really big deal to me. I am so thankful to my managers Trinity, Marjorie, and Abs, as well as the owners of Simply Loud, for their continued support and guidance as I expand my portfolio and skills while they give direction and continue to trust me and my work. Not everyone is lucky enough to work in one of their target industries straight out of college and be able to apply their skills on a near daily basis, in a way that gives me a unique sense of purpose and feeling of moving forward. Stay tuned for more updates and even bigger projects! -L
explore
MOTION & VIDEO
BRAND & IDENTITY
SOCIAL & PHOTO
FOR DETROIT
More
about
commissions
resume