The 2019 Dieline Neenah Paper Award Winner: Zoma Cannabis
by Casha Doemland on 05/10/2019 | 3 Minute Read
As the official winner of Dieline’s 2019 Neenah Paper Award, Zoma Cannabis was handpicked by the Creative Director of Neenah Packaging and recognized for the best use of paper this year as it elevated the company into the luxury cannabis space.
Founded in 2016 by Spencer Peterson, Zoma Cannabis is EnvirOganic certified line of cannabis offering pre-rolls, flower and vapor cartridges. The certification by Envirocann shows Zoma's commitment to the environment, to the community and to producing and creating transparency around high-quality, clean cannabis. As a result, Zoma is grown using the best practices in Santa Cruz, California, lab tested for impurities, and 100% Prop 64 compliant.
All of which was important to Peterson as the inspiration behind founding this company, outside of his calling to all things green and his decade of experience of course, as he wanted consumers to know what it means to be a bonafide organic cannabis line. It also served as the inspiration behind name Zoma which originated in Sanskrit and is meant to evoke feelings of peace and a sense of grounding for consumers.
“Out of all of the naming options he was considering, Zoma was a no-brainer and our clear favorite,” begins Michael Hester, founder of Pavement. “It was unique, memorable and immediately connotative of the brand direction.”
Peterson enlisted San Francisco-based creative studio Pavement to help produce a brand that not only told Zoma's story but would also appeal to the recreational cannabis market in California.
"As a certified-organic cannabis line, the identity sought to illuminate the connection of the cannabis plant to the Earth and healing through symbols of alchemy and sacred geometries," says Hester. "A stylized illustration of Mother Earth was a perfect symbol and focal point to represent this idea as the cornerstone of the brand identity."
Hester produced these designs by utilizing heavy tactile elements like gold MX86 foils for the name and embossing of Mother Nature on 18 pt Neenah Folding Paper Board with a vellum finish in Deep Black based on the very specific mood board Peterson created that included symbols of sacred geometries and pagan symbols. This not only represented the difference between lightness and dark, healing and cannabis, but it gave a sense of mystery to the product and reflected Peterson's beliefs and style.
Through all this hard work and attention to detail, both Peterson and the team at Pavement have created a brand that’s received press from around the country both the high-quality kush, and the gorgeous, stylized designs on Neenah Paper.
If you’re looking to puff puff pass a little of your own, Zoma offers single eight jars and a 6-pack of pre-rolls of hybrids like Champagne, Cookies n Cream, Banana OG and Mendo Breath, a Sour Diesel Sativa, True OG Indica and Ringo’s Gift that’s just got zero THC and a whole lot of CBD.