Kure Brand Evolution

Case Study:

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Most rebrands are driven by ambition. This one was driven by survival.

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Since 2018, I led Kure's brand through one of the most volatile regulatory environments in retail, where the rules could shift by state, county, and sometimes by month. What started as a vape-focused retailer became a hemp and CBD destination, and ultimately a holistic wellness brand, spanning 60+ locations across 8 states and multiple in-house brands. Each shift needed a new identity that could carry customers forward without losing the ones already earned.

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I modernized the original mark first, a cleaner, more refined identity that set the foundation for everything after. As Kure moved into hemp and CBD, I updated the identity to reflect the new category while protecting the equity already built with customers. When regulatory pressure eventually pushed the brand toward broader wellness positioning, I made the call to drop the CBD + Vape descriptor entirely, leaving a single confident wordmark that could travel into any category without limitation. Every iteration was a response to a shifting legal and cultural landscape, never a refresh for its own sake.

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A new identity means nothing if it only lives on the sign outside. As Kure moved toward a wellness destination, I brought the store experience with it, updating signage across all locations, refreshing environmental graphics, and moving the physical space away from standard display cases toward a boutique aesthetic that signaled quality from the moment a customer walked in. 

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The result: Following a customer survey email campaign, most guests described the refreshed store experience as feeling like a lifestyle, not just a transaction.