I got super excited when CFD got approached to help name, brand, and photograph this start-up company! I'm going to walk you through how the company was born, how it was named, and the branding process that follows.
Like their name states, the three friends: Serhat Yilmaz, Erkam Koca, and Enes Akbuga all met at Texas State University 9 years ago and became close friends. All three of them are from Turkey and I find it a serendipitous chance that they would all meet and start a company. Sounds like a movie waiting to happen!!! (Am I right?)
Their strong bond over the course of the last few years (even living together at some point) all led to starting a company together. The idea started when they were brainstorming for a way to bring joy to people's lives. One member of the group, Erkam, was also looking for a way to quit his day job and find something more meaningful after working for a paralegal for the past year. That's when they came up with the personalized, handcrafted leather concept.
"As three friends from college, we have always enjoyed helping and serving others. Through this shop, we hope to spread happiness and joy by providing high-quality and personalized gifts. Help us help you find the perfect and one-of-a-kind gift for you or your loved ones!" - Erkam Koca
Considering their roots, it seemed like a no-brainer to use Turkish leather for their products. Turkey is one of the biggest producers of high-quality leather products in the world. With today's newfound appreciation of anything handcrafted and personalized, the group wanted to create something special for milestones in people's lives; such as a wallet engraved for a husband's gift on his wedding day or a make-up bag with initials as a bridesmaid's gift.
After a Zoom meeting and a few emails, we decided on their name, Three Friends Gifts. We threw around a variety of different names and landed on three choices. I went to the drawing board and mocked up several different renditions for them that all had the same concept. After presenting them with the mockups, they knew in unison that this name and logo felt right.
Much like their name, all three bring different "gifts" to the table when it comes to running the business. Erkam is the General Manager, Enes, who has a Ph.D. in Math Education, is the Financial Manager, and Serhat is the Supply Chain Manager - he has an Industrial Engineering Master's degree that makes him a perfect fit for this.
Photos & Branding
The Branding Guide is one of my favorite things to create. This is also something I refer to as a company's "Branding Bible" -- it should be the thing that businesses refer to ANYTIME they are ordering new merch, creating social posts, and/or creating marketing material. These include font choices, color, and logo variations.
Shoutout to Charles McCoy and Natasha Ibrahim for modeling the products for me!
I also created some product videos of the models opening and closing the products so customers have a good idea of the size and dimensions.
Setting Up Shop
Next, I was able to create a few different carousel graphics, and format their logo for Etsy's specifications, check out their shop below.
Three Friends Gifts is now live! Their products include cardholders, wallets, make-up bags, men's toiletry bags, valet trays, mousepads, and more. They are hoping to add more products soon including dog collars, key chains, and passport covers (let's get traveling again!!!). Personalize your gift now at https://www.etsy.com/shop/threefriendsgifts
Personally, I was gifted a make-up bag for helping them get their marketing up and running and I LOVE it. It's even engraved with my first initial, "S". These guys were so kind and nice to work with, and I love that they're an Austin-based company.
See more photos from the photoshoot below!
If you are interested in taking the first steps to creating your brand, reach out to us here or on our social media platforms @creativeforcesdesigncompany
תגובות