Aurora Cannabis
Recreational Brand Platform
The Challenge
Aurora had built a strong reputation in the medical cannabis market, but legalization introduced a new challenge – entering the recreational market for the first time.
The company needed to evolve from a strictly medical brand into one that could resonate with a broader consumer audience while still maintaining credibility with its existing medical customers. At the same time, Aurora was expanding rapidly and required a clear brand framework that could guide marketing teams, agencies, and internal stakeholders as the company moved into this new category.
The Idea
Create a recreational brand platform that would introduce Aurora to the consumer market while preserving the credibility it had built in medical cannabis.
The solution was a series of brand books that defined how Aurora would show up across different audiences while maintaining a cohesive brand foundation.
The system included three distinct brand expressions:
Champion Brand – introducing Aurora to the mainstream recreational market, presenting the brand as confident, modern, and accessible.
Medical Brand – reinforcing Aurora’s leadership and trust within the medical cannabis space, where clarity, education, and professionalism were essential.
Urban Brand – a more targeted expression designed to connect with culture-driven and niche audiences.
Together, the system allowed Aurora to expand into new consumer segments while maintaining a clear and unified brand identity.
The Creative
Each brand book translated strategy into a scalable creative system – defining Aurora’s visual language, storytelling approach, and tone of voice.
The work established guidelines for:
• brand positioning and narrative
• typography and design systems
• photography direction and visual tone
• messaging frameworks and voice
• campaign execution across channels
To introduce the brand to Canada and international markets, we also developed a brand video that brought Aurora’s positioning and vision to life, helping establish the brand with both domestic and global audiences as the recreational market emerged.
The Work
Brand Launch Video (60s)
Even though Aurora’s audience was segmented into distinct groups, they were united by shared values. The launch film brought them together through a stigma-breaking lens – showing cannabis consumers not as stereotypes, but as everyday people.
Structured around a series of declarations: We’re Creators, We’re Active, We’re Chance-Takers, We’re Open-Minded, We’re Neighbours – the film captured real moments across culture, community, and country, celebrating diversity, individuality, and inclusion. The message was simple: this is who we are.
Aurora (Champion Brand) – Brand Guidelines
The champion brand guide was developed for their flagship recreational product, and while these products are appealing to all cannabis consumers, the urban brand(s) and medical guides were more hyper-focused on niche segments.
The Execution
The brand platform became the foundation for Aurora’s transition into the recreational market, guiding how the brand appeared across advertising, retail environments, packaging, digital platforms, and marketing communications.
The Impact
The platform provided Aurora with a clear framework for entering the recreational market, helping the company expand beyond its medical roots while maintaining the credibility and trust that defined the brand.
My Role
Creative Direction
Brand Strategy
Art Direction
Design