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Work Brand identity Packaging

Dark Matter

A high-contrast identity across a folded carton.

Problem
A pre-roll carton needed an instant front-of-pack signature that carries around a narrow folded box.
Solution
Black with one neon-magenta accent, expressive display lettering and the astronaut, repeated panel to panel.
Result
One print-ready net covering all six panels: front, back, two sides, top and base.

My role Visual identity · typographic composition · carton artwork

Dark Matter — 10 pre-rolls · carton

Dark Matter 10 pre-rolls · carton

3D model — original artwork Built from the supplied net: front, sides, bottom, back and top panels as printed.

Visual identity, typographic composition and carton artwork for a ten-pack pre-roll carton.

Two Dark Matter cartons on black stone, one front up and one back up, with obsidian shards and dried petals. Studio composite: production artwork rendered in 3D at the scene's scale and light, laid on a generated top-down scene.Open full-size image
Studio composite — production artwork in a generated setThe carton, front and back

Part by part

Every panel, one language

  1. One hot accent on black

    One hot accent on black

    Black and neon magenta give the front an immediate signature.

  2. Expressive display

    Expressive display

    A rough display name over restrained information type.

  3. The sides

    The sides

    Front, back, sides and flaps sit in one folding layout.

  4. The back

    The back

    The same language carries around the pack.

  5. Ten pre-rolls

    Ten pre-rolls

    The carton holds ten pre-rolls; the complete folding layout is supplied.

3D: the production artwork on the real dimensions

Identity

Colour, type and system

Dark Matter mark.
Dark Matter mark

Palette

Sampled from the production files

  • #040506 RGB 4 5 6
  • #28191E RGB 40 25 30
  • #522D39 RGB 82 45 57
  • #843D55 RGB 132 61 85
  • #D23467 RGB 210 52 103
  • #AA6F85 RGB 170 111 133

Type

Dark Matter lettering in use.
Front lockup, back panel copy and the count line, from the carton net

System

  • Dark Matter variant 1.
  • Dark Matter variant 2.
  • Dark Matter variant 3.

Palette sampled from the production files; type and system as printed

Brandbook

The system, board by board

Board: the Dark Matter carton net from the production file, and the front panel.Open full-size image
Presentation board — compiled from the design filesThe carton net and the front panel

Design decisions

Why it looks this way

  1. Close-up of the Dark Matter wordmark and astronaut.Open full-size image
    Detail

    One hot accent on black

    Black and neon magenta give the front an immediate signature; the astronaut and expressive lettering lead.

  2. Dark Matter carton front: magenta lettering and an astronaut with lightning on black; 10 pre-rolls.Open full-size image
    Original artworkCarton front

    Expressive display, disciplined support

    The rough display name contrasts with restrained information type at the lower levels of the hierarchy.

In context

Dark Matter cartons on black stone with a magenta glow. Studio composite: production artwork in a generated set.Open full-size image
Studio composite — production artwork in a generated setBlack on black
Dark Matter carton standing on a near-black set with a magenta rim light. Studio render, production artwork.Open full-size image
Studio render — production artworkThe carton
A single Dark Matter carton standing in haze, magenta light on the floor. Studio composite: production artwork in a generated set.Open full-size image
Studio composite — production artwork in a generated setOne carton, standing
A Dark Matter carton standing on dark slate, a second one behind turned to show the back panel. Studio render made from the production artwork.Open full-size image
Studio render — production artworkFront and back
Low close view of the Dark Matter carton front, a second carton out of focus behind. Studio render made from the production artwork.Open full-size image
Studio render — production artworkThe astronaut and the wordmark
Three Dark Matter cartons showing the front, the side panel and the back, magenta and violet rim light. Studio render made from the production artwork.Open full-size image
Studio render — production artworkFront, side and back panels

Campaign

A proposed direction

Dark Matter campaign direction: feed posts, stories and a typographic frame made from the project imagery. Proposed, not published.Open full-size image
Proposed campaign direction — not publishedBlack on black: posts, stories and a typographic frame

By the numbers

printed carton panels on one net
6
printed carton panels on one net
pre-rolls per pack, set as a front-panel callout
10
pre-rolls per pack, set as a front-panel callout
Process & productionFull write-up, print specs, timeline, files, credits

Overview

Dark Matter is a ten-pack pre-roll carton. The front reads “Top shelf. Max THC.” and “Indica: Black Hole Blend”.

The challenge

The front needed an immediate signature while the design continued coherently across a narrow folded carton and its supporting panels.

Creative direction

One hot accent on black, expressive lettering and the astronaut define the front; the side and back panels repeat the same visual language around the information.

What was delivered

The carton face and the complete folding layout.

Design value

The project shows control of hierarchy and continuity between a dramatic front and the less visible production surfaces.

The problem is framed from the finished work, not quoted from a client brief.

Delivered

  • Carton front
  • Supporting panels
  • Complete folding layout

Built to print

Format
Tuck-end carton
Panels
Front, back, two sides, top and base
Files
Adobe Illustrator

Production files

Dark Matter complete carton folding layout.Open full-size image
Production fileComplete folding layout

Evidence

Verified fact
The carton holds 10 pre-rolls; the complete folding layout is supplied.
Design reading
One accent colour on black carries the space theme across every panel.

Credits & notes

  • Identity and carton artwork — Faraz Khadivdjam
  • Some imagery in this project is AI-assisted (as noted in the original portfolio)
  • Studio renders — made in Blender from the production artwork, 2026
  • Studio composites — production artwork rendered in Blender on background plates generated with Magnific (Freepik) from text prompts, 2026
  • Studio sets — production artwork on the 3D models, rendered in Blender, 2026 (no generated imagery)
  • Flat lays — production artwork rendered in Blender on top-down scenes generated with Magnific (Freepik) from text prompts, 2026

In short

One accent colour on black carries the carton from the front panel to the base.

Next project VYBE Six flavours. One recognisable system.

Contact

Have a project in mind?

Tell me what you’re making, what you need designed, and your timeline. For design roles or collaborations, email me directly.

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