My Role
Creative Director
Sr. UX Designer
Sr. Brand
Strategy
Project Context:
Graduate school assignment to create a full brand, packing, and working prototype.
What I did
Created brand
Created packaging
Designed UX interface
Created tokens and other engineering components
When I was 20 years old, my life changed dramatically after my partner and I were arrested and charged with misdemeanors for possession in Sheridan, Wyoming. That moment lit a spark in me. Until then, I had never thought about the risks or potential backlash that came with weed, or the way it was viewed especially as a female consumer. I started paying attention to trailblazers in the industry like Dr. Dina Browner, “The Queen of Weed,” who faced legal issues when first entering the cannabis space, not just from the public but from the DEA.
When I was given an assignment in my undergraduate class to create a publication, brand, and website, I knew what I wanted to do. I created Honey. Years passed, and I found myself 25 years old in a graduate classroom with a similar assignment. This time, I had the chance to work under a former Native Roots CMO Chris Znerold. I knew this was my opportunity to take a risk and go further.
At first, I thought I’d just do a rebrand a better version of what I’d made before. I loved the idea and Honey was truly my baby. But it didn’t hit. I was disappointed in the response, but I wasn’t deterred. I wanted to build something that meant more to me, something packed with symbolism and cultural context. That’s when SÍDHE came along. Both my partner and I have strong ties to Irish culture—he’s a citizen of Ireland and I have ancestral roots. We were inspired by artists like Kneecap and CMAT, who are helping bring Irish language and resistance into the spotlight. SÍDHE, meaning the fairies or supernatural beings of Ireland, felt right. I blended folklore and modern design to create a brand that speaks to both the modern struggles of Ireland and to queer expression and resistance.
When it came to actual products, both physical and digital, I was struggling. The aesthetic I’d envisioned was scattered. After someone told me the packaging looked like something out of the back of a truck, I knew I had to rethink everything. It was harsh feedback, but necessary. I realized I needed to not only shift my direction but also dig deeper into cannabis industry standards, packaging regulations, and product legality.
After lots of pivoting, research, and hours of solo work, I finalized a full brand book, die cuts, mockups, a working prototype, a pitch deck, and even an internal token system, which I uploaded to GitHub. This was a solo project—no team, no backup. If something wasn’t getting done, it was on me. Luckily, I had guidance from an industry mentor and support from a collegial connection who works as a master grower in Bozeman, Montana.
The outcome of this project is truly a love child. It’s been a surprising conversation starter during interviews, and when I show it to people, they get it. SÍDHE is made for women and queer people in a way that feels different from anything else on the market. Even our closest competitors come at it with a different edge. So much of the market still sells women cheap products. I wanted to challenge that by entering the rosin space with intention and care.
SÍDHE is a brand for queer Celtic women, and I think that really shows. It’s a branded house that empowers female stoners and creates a platform for other boundary-pushing brands, lifting the whole industry along with it.