Located in Times Square, The Daily Green redefined the dispensary model by merging editorial storytelling with regulated retail. The concept positioned cannabis within culture, media, and hospitality while operating under strict state compliance.
BREAKING NEWS: CANNABIS HAS ARRIVED IN TIMES SQUARE
My role
The Daily Green opened in Times Square as a media-led retail concept rooted in culture and regulation, supported by a cross-functional operations team, with each member playing a clearly defined role. As the Jr. Design Director & Visual Merchandiser, I shaped the customer experience across in-store, digital, and outdoor touchpoints, integrating compliance, accessibility, and design to drive conversions.
Deliverables: Lead the in-store creative with bold graphic design across email campaigns, merchandising, social media, digital, and printed materials. To start, we'll need fresh brand photography, in-store visual merchandising, outdoor signage, daily e-newsletters developed with Figma and delivered through Alpine, SEO-optimized, compliant blog content for our WordPress site, staff ID design, and digital campaigns.
This work reinforced The Daily Green’s identity as both a retail destination and a tourist-facing installation. I am beyond grateful to have worked with a thoughtful and driven team whose collaboration and individual skill set shaped every detail of this experience!
METHODS AND APPROACH
Located in one of the busiest pedestrian corridors in the world, with more than 200,000 people moving through Times Square daily, our strategy was built to compete with the visual noise and VERY adjacent campaigns.
We designed for immediate clarity and bold recognition, using strong hierarchy, compliant messaging, and intuitive wayfinding to capture attention within seconds.
The goal was not only to convert high-volume tourism traffic, but to create a memorable retail experience that earns repeat visits from both tourists and locals.
OUTDOOR MARKETING
In Times Square, wayfinding happens in three directions: DOWN at Google Maps, AROUND at street level, and UP at the skyline. Our outdoor strategy incorporated all three. We optimized digital listings for search visibility, activated branded street-level touchpoints, outdoor blitzing, and leveraged bold, high-impact signage to compete with surrounding billboards. Each layer worked together to guide foot traffic from discovery to entry, contributing to a 76.74% net ROI.
BASE LEVEL BILLBOARD TICKER
NEWS_TICKER_TSQ.ai by Ely Kim
stickers!!!!!
GARBAGE!!!!!!
IN-STORE EVENTS (featured in black cannabis magazine)
In-store Payment methods:
Under New York State regulations from the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), licensed cannabis dispensaries can accept both cash and physical debit cards for in-person purchases. However, there are different rules for delivery orders and credit cards.
Due to cannabis's illegal status at the federal level, major credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard prohibit credit card transactions for cannabis purchases.
To bridge this gap, we implemented Dutchie Pay, a compliant ACH-based payment system designed specifically for cannabis retail. The rollout required clear customer education, compliant in-store messaging, and staff training to ensure seamless adoption and transaction flow.
BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
DATA-DRIVEN DESIGN SOLUTIONS
I analyzed customer behavior, campaign engagement, and purchase trends to identify what products, messaging, and visuals were driving conversions. Using those insights, I designed targeted email campaigns in Figma and deployed them through Alpine, refining layout, hierarchy, and calls to action based on real engagement metrics. Each send was iterative, data-driven, and designed to increase click-through rates and drive in-store sales.
iPhone 17 Pro demo on Figma
OUTCOMES + METRICS
I applied demographic and time-of-day purchasing data to refine messaging tone and promotional timing. Leveraging data as a creative compass strengthened both revenue performance and customer engagement while reinforcing a cohesive, elevated retail experience. By aligning messaging with a 32.11-day average return cycle, re-engagement emails were strategically timed to increase repeat purchase frequency.
High-margin products, including branded accessories at 66.65% margin, were integrated into promotional sends to improve profitability per transaction. Campaign timing was optimized around peak months, such as June, generating $ ██████. ██ in revenue. rounding creative execution in performance percentages and lifecycle data strengthened revenue contribution, customer retention, and campaign efficiency.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
