22 Mind-Opening Packaging Designs Featuring Psychedelic Typography
by Chloe Gordon on 08/08/2022 | 4 Minute Read
Psychedelics like magic mushrooms and MDMA are closer than ever to being legalized for medicinal purposes. According to Pew Trusts, "cities including Ann Arbor, Michigan, Denver, Oakland, California, and Seattle have passed measures that essentially decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and sometimes other psychedelics derived from plants or fungi."
And while the potential to help ease the impact of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other traumas is terrific, another side effect of the legalization of these psychedelics is the spillage of their influences into the world of design and packaging. Of course, we've seen the rise of mushroom-centered products, inclusive of an entire marketplace dedicated to fungi.
But it also speaks to how design has loosened up its collar in recent years, particularly when it comes to typography. Designers are freeing themselves from the rigors of Helvetica and other sans-serif typefaces and opting for trippy wordmarks, rejecting blanding and turning on, tuning in, and dropping out.
Not only does this visual inspiration require fewer FDA hoops to jump through than mushroom-based products with healing qualities, but it's a way for the everyday population to become more familiar with the effects of mushrooms moving their way into the mainstream.
By adopting psych-tinged aesthetics, brands can remain relevant and maybe reach a new subset of consumers. What's more, the psychedelic wave of design could have some genuine longevity, especially as more cities and states decriminalize magic mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs with healing properties in the coming years.
So, in celebration of opening our minds, we've gathered a collection of psychedelic-inspired packaging design highlighting the rise of trippy visuals making their way into the mainstream.