Her Story
About Christina
Christina Hatcher is a designer, art director, and branding specialist with more than 12 years of experience creating thoughtful, strategic visual identities for businesses across a variety of industries. After spending the past several years building award-winning brands within the cannabis industry, she recently launched Better with Buds, a freelance branding studio dedicated to helping small businesses develop authentic, memorable brands. Her creative philosophy centers on transparency, collaboration, and storytelling, enabling organizations to communicate their purpose while fostering meaningful connections with their audiences. Before establishing her freelance practice, Hatcher served as Art Director for Candid – An Honest Creative Studio and Honest Cannabis, where she led branding, website, and marketing initiatives for Native American and state-regulated cannabis enterprises. Earlier in her career, she held creative leadership roles at Fine Fettle and worked with agencies and independent clients to produce compelling digital, print, and experiential design. A graduate of Manchester Community College with an Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Design, she furthered her education through studies at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and earned a professional certification in Visual Identity Design. Her creative excellence has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Connecticut Art Directors Club Excellence Award for branding and logo systems. Beyond her design work, Christina is an active speaker and advocate for the creative community, sharing her insights on branding and the evolving cannabis industry at professional conferences and investment forums. She is equally committed to serving others through volunteer work as a postpartum doula, providing support to families within her community. Christina attributes her success to the inspiration she draws from motherhood and her desire to create meaningful change, a passion reinforced by witnessing the positive impact medical cannabis has had on patients and families. She remains dedicated to using thoughtful design to help businesses grow while making a lasting, positive impact on the communities they serve.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Christina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say becoming a mom at an early age pushed me in ways that I don't think I would have otherwise. It was easy to get tired and feel like I couldn't do it, but having someone watching your every move, starts to change how you see things. I've stayed driven and motivated to continue to work in the industry I love. In just showing up as Christina, I've been introduced to so many new people, experiences, and opportunities. I will say standing true to how I show up has done more for my success than the physical aspects of my work. In my opinion, community and connection, especially in design, is almost more important. Skills can be taught and learned over time, but those who want to work with you depends more on how they feel when they're around you. It's important.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Once you start to feel you've become comfortable, you're in the wrong place. Discomfort plants seeds for more to grow.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to be authentically who you are and take up space. The cannabis industry can be intimidating, but there's genuine people who are in it for the right reasons and doing really good work. If I'm talking about the design space in general, I would add that while you're learning, try everything and make mistakes. It's ok and the internet never has to see it. I would tell them to not take themselves too seriously. It's competitive and there's a lot of really good designers, but that doesn't mean you can't get there too.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I've seen over the past 5 years that people have become more open to different perspectives surrounding cannabis. I've also seen how much more women have been able to make a platform. More and more I'm seeing women-only coalitions, strong women support network in cannabis and genuine cheerleading of one another. There's something about the industry that is just different from any other and is always changing, but the community of it has stayed the same.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
For me, having a sense of humility, perspective, and a strong belief system. I have to believe in the mission behind who I'm working for, the work I'm doing, and where I show up. I believe that no matter what, meeting people where they are is one of the most important actions along with holding onto what I believe, whether that's work or in my personal life.
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