Product Photography & Business Branding

You may remember way back in October we had a Custom Styling Giveaway!

It was a great opportunity for Etsy store owners who wanted a makeover to enter to win this:

Etsy Store Custom Stylizing Package!
1- Creative Evaluation & Consultation for your custom design - worth $25.00

1- Custom Designed Shop Header - worth $50.00
1- Custom Designed Favicon - worth $20.00

1- Photo styling for 3 products (feature images). You will receive 3-5 low resolution images for web only of each of your 3 products - worth $65.00

1 - Custom Designed Logo High-Resolution Jpeg (and all rights) PLUS Print-Ready Business Card File - worth $300

&
FREE Promotion of your ReVamped Store or Blog + Featuring of your store products after F&F Styling on F&F's Blog and/or Etsy Shop.

Well Ashley, the owner of Knots by Ashley, was the winner! We actually completed her store's makeover awhile back, and we're finally sharing it with you all!

We've said it before, and we'll say it again--
how you market yourself can truly make your business more successful!

Ashley's store was amazing even before we touched it and we knew it would be FUN to style and photograph her fantastic handmade creations! We collaborated with her to enhance a business she has worked diligently to build.
We just adore working alongside clients and offering creative branding and marketing ideas to help them showcase their craftsmanship in it's best light. It's our passion to bring fluidity to a clients vision. We LOVE helping other crafters and creators achieve success!

Here was Ashley's store before.

After talking with Ashley and discovering she loves jewel tones we developed a color scheme and were able to put together a comprehensive design for her shop. We played with fabric textures and emphasized the knots in her name with her new logo and banner.

Ashley's Etsy Store After F&F

In addition to a new logo, we were able to style some of Ashley's amazing knit products and enhance them with high resolution photos.

Ashley's Slouch Hat Before

Ashley's Slouch Hat After F&F
While it's generally true that you can't judge a book by it's cover, a cover is all you get in the internet world! Quality photography can get you solid recognition from sources such as Etsy's front page listings and popular blogs.

Ashley's makeover ended up achieving exactly this kind of success at Oh Hello Friend!
Recognize the photo at the bottom right?! It's Ashley's from F&F's Product Styling Shoot! Her newly styled and photographed creation was featured in Oh Hello's Holiday Shopping Guide!!!

General Photography Tips:

1. Use High Resolution for the Best Quality!
Don't skimp on this especially if you are charging a lot for your products. A bad photo won't sell an expensive product!

2. Take Your Photos in Great Lighting & Stay Consistent

Try to take your pictures at the same time of day (preferably utilizing natural sunlight) and against the same background. This gives your shop a more cohesive and consistent feel and allows the customer to easily navigate through your items and focus on your product! If you have a hard time with lighting, here is a great tutorial on how to build your own light box!

3. Capture DETAILS

Remember that customers do not get to hold or touch your item when they are shopping online. All they have are your photographs to help them make a choice, so make sure you highlight all the unique angles, textures, colors and size of your items as accurately as possible.

4. Highlight your Items Versatility
Showing how many different ways an item can be used lets a buyer know the product is a great investment!

5. Use People vs. Mannequins when You Can

This gives a photo life, personal perspective, appropriate scale, suggests different ways to wear the product and enhances the overall quality. Ask a friend to come over and model for you and offer an item of their choice in exchange for their time.

Another Sample...
Ashley's Blair Bow Headband Before

...and now...

Ashley's Blair Bow Headband After F&FWe enjoyed working with Ashley and just loved her products so much we recently shared them with you in our Handmade Holiday Giveaway!

***

Have you wanted to style your store to enhance your brand and grow your business? F&F is ready to help! We can start small as we know these things are an investment.

So as the shopping season winds down and a slower recovery season winds up, start dreaming of where you want your business to go in the New Year and what need to do in order to accomplish your goals.

Big things continue to develop here at F&F and we look forward to sharing with you some exciting new things in 2010!

*Want information on Marketing, Branding, and Store Restyling now? Email us by clicking our Email Us button to the right!*