Growing up, I always had a camera in my hands. I started young, making short films with friends in middle school using only a small iPod. In my sophomore year of high school I took an introductory photography class, and not soon after launched my own business called “Dallin Thomas Photography.” When I entered college, I had no idea what career path to follow, so I decided to see how far my love of photography and storytelling would take me. Now, I am pleased to have found my niche in marketing and advertising, having added graphic design, product photography, creative writing, and social media management skills to my professional tool belt. I took on this project to transform a local artist’s hobby into a thriving online business, allowing me to enhance and refine my skills through the rebranding of Lydell’s Antler Art.
Lydell’s Antler Art
Lydell Wilkins, local resident of Rexburg, Idaho, has spent over 30 years perfecting his craft, transforming antlers into stunning belt buckles and bolo ties, and carving intricate duck decoys and fish from wood. His talents don’t stop there; he is also an incredible painter, who is equally skilled in painting nature scenes on canvas as he is adding minuscule details that can fit on a bolo tie. For years, he’s created beautiful works of art, selling many pieces only to friends and acquaintances. It became immediately clear to me that Lydell’s art deserved a larger audience and market. Lydell’s Antler Art was ready to be transformed from a hobby to a thriving business.
I worked closely with Lydell, as his confidence in the rebrand was a top priority for me. He communicated to me his primary goals and objectives:
1. To have a place where he could proudly display his artwork
2. To create a shop where people can inquire to buy products, but not overwhelm him with orders.
Keeping these wishes at the center of my project, I decided to create content to assist him in opening and operating an Etsy store. This way, he could share his artwork with a wider audience, and allow them to see what pieces were available for immediate purchase.
Brand Identity
Creating the logo and brand identity for Lydell’s Antler Art was by far the most challenging and time consuming part of the project. I spent hours sketching, designing, and redesigning this logo. I wanted Lydell’s brand to stand out from the other hundreds of people selling antler art on Etsy. While everyone’s logos seemed to be an intricate yet forgettable drawing of a deer or an elk, I decided to keep things simple with basic but strong shapes. I took my designs to Lydell as well as my trusted mentors, and applied their feedback until it was perfect. This refreshing and memorable logo, along with its unique typography and colors, embodies the spirit of Lydell’s personal brand perfectly.
Showcasing Lydell’s Products
What I found most impressive of Lydell was although he has been creating art for over 30 years, he continues to strive to make each product unique and personable. Taking photos of a product that will be different for each customer would prove to be a bit challenging. However, Etsy has a fantastic feature of allowing 15 second videos to be included in a listing. I decided to not only photograph several versions of each art piece, but also create “how it’s made” videos to give costumers an idea of how their product will turn out. A listing would include 3-5 photos of a product, as well as one of these videos.
Alongside taking photos of the products themselves, I wanted to showcase their practical uses. I reached out to a friend who enthusiastically agreed to model Lydell’s buckles and bolo ties for me. Lydell also had an impressive 30 inch wooden fish he carved, as well as various duck decoys on display in his home. Providing context for how the products are used adds significant value to the audience’s experience.
Reaching The Right Audience
Launching an Etsy store with quality products requires more than just a logo and photos. To ensure that Lydell’s store can be easily discoverable, effective keyword optimization and SEO are crucial. Etsy organizes everyone’s products through specific categories. I spent time finding similar stores to Lydell’s, observing their tags and keywords, as well as what their products were categorized as. Over the past couple years I have learned the importance of SEO and keywords, as they determine whether or not people will actually find my photography content online. I crafted a specific list of keywords and titles for Lydell to use on his listings, such as “Antler jewelry”, “Western fashion”, and “Americana”. People who are looking for products like Lydell’s are often using these keywords in their searches.
Deliverables
At the start of any project, outlining all of the deliverables you are going to provide for the client not only sets the expectations between you and them, but also allows you to budget and allocate your time in an organized way. I estimated the project would take about 50 hours total, and kept record of my time spent. I set deadlines for myself to ensure I did not fall behind or procrastinate. I would argue that the most valuable skill I have learned in all my years at BYU-Idaho is how to manage my time wisely in projects.
Deliverables produced:
- 1 logo (3 variations for scalability)
- Etsy banner photo
- 20+ high quality photos of products
- 5 “How It’s Made” videos (15 seconds each)
- Color palette
- Style guide
- Business card design
- A detailed document of all 5 product listings including tags, shipping information, pricing, and store policies
Mockups
To reiterate an earlier statement: providing context for how the products are used adds significant value to the audience’s experience. Lydell needs to see just exactly how his store will look before he launches it. I took time to create several mockups to display how each listing will look on the store, as well as what the landing page will look like to his audience. I also created a mockup of how his business card would look.
Conclusion
In total, I spent 60 hours on this project. I underestimated just how long it would take to design the logo, but in the end I was able to produce all of the promised deliverables on time. I am very proud of how everything turned out, and am confident Lydell’s Etsy store will be a huge success when he decides to launch it.
I’ve grown to love branding, as it incorporates my passion for photography, graphic design, and marketing together. I’m grateful to Lydell for sharing his beloved hobby with me and entrusting me to do his artistic talents justice. My hope is that this project stands as a strong example to any employer of my abilities, and perpetuates my passion into a full career in marketing and advertising.
If you are looking for someone to elevate your brand, I’ve got the skills and expertise you need! Contact me, and let’s collaborate to achieve your brand goals.
Email: thomasdallin@gmail.com