Launching a psilocybin brand as the first in its category.
They are psychedelic drugs, which means they can affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions.
An increasing number of studies indicate that psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy have dramatic, often unparalleled positive impacts upon patients and their mental health conditions.
Smaller, milder doses of psychedelics like psilocybin, often referred to as a “microdose,” have been shown, at least anecdotally, to improve mood and alleviate symptoms of depression.
In 10 years, it will be legalized and will follow a similar trajectory to CBD. There is already evidence of this happening as it has become decriminalized in some states.
For this project, we decided to "future-cast" and imagine a world in which psilocybin is fully legalized everywhere.
DOSENT is our brand of premium psilocybin chocolates. We are introducing this brand by focusing on the benefit of shifting your perspective for a better life experience rather than leaning into classic psychedelic tropes.
A docent is a person who acts as a guide, typically in a museum or art gallery. In a similar sense, psilocybin can guide you into a new mindset. Taking psilocybin is consumed through dosing, most often in small doses known as microdosing. DOSENT felt like an apt name as it combines the therapeutic effect of psilocybin with its method of consumption.
There are three flavors of chocolate. The packaging includes nine individually wrapped squares and dosing instructions.
While we fully believe that psilocybin will become as prominent in culture as CBD, we realize there is a greater barrier to entry with psychedelics. There is greater misinformation, fear, and uncertainty. However, our research revealed that people would be more likely to try psilocybin if there was a place of safety to try it with licensed professionals present.
The DEC gives potential users the opportunity to try DOSENT chocolates in a controlled environment. Similar to the way a spa refreshes the body, the DEC refreshes the mind.
The entirety of the DEC is intended to enhance the psilocybin experience. Each floor of the center has a different purpose.
Users are able to spend hours in the center, moving through rooms as the psilocybin transforms the mind.
We were inspired by the Netflix docuseries How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan and interested in the fact that there is no current forerunner in the market for CBD. This led to some interesting questions about what a brand leader in this category could like and how you'd get in buy-in from the public.
For our color palette, we chose a vibrant chartreuse balanced by clean, earth tones and darker colors. We wanted to make a nod to psilocybin's history while also straying away from typical psychedelic packaging and colors, emphasizing that DOSENT isn't a brand for hippies and drug users. It's a brand that everyone could benefit from, especially in an age of increasing stress.
I built out the whole building in an architectural software known as Revit and then brought it to life within Blender. The final product is a full 3D model of the building with half-furnished rooms. The interior space renders are furnished with found imagery and AI-generated artwork.
Eleni Alafoginis: art direction & packaging design
Martin Rees: copywriting
