Custom photo transfers onto wood — the kind of craft that makes people stop and feel something. But when everything on his site looked like a hobby, the work got ignored.
See the deliverables
Max built something people loved. Custom photos transferred onto wood — wedding memories, family portraits, keepsakes that last a lifetime. Handcrafted, one at a time. The kind of thing you'd pay extra for because it actually means something.
But on his site, the same product looked like every other Etsy listing in the category. No visual identity. No brand story. No reason to trust him over the 50 other people doing the same thing with a different template.
FORGED is KNVL's full brand identity package — 8 logo concepts across 3 strategic directions, 8 color palettes, 13 brand name options with taglines, 3 voice directions, and a full brand brief. Here's what landed.
Every logo direction was rooted in the product itself — the warmth of wood, the permanence of the craft, the emotional weight of what gets transferred onto it. Here are the four strongest concepts from the FORGED package.
Built around walnut wood tones and copper hardware — the same materials as the product itself. Rich browns anchor the palette; a warm cream provides contrast; copper and gold accents add premium feel. This palette works on the wood surface and in a digital brand presence simultaneously. It's the brand equivalent of the product.
For a product that turns memories into physical objects, the voice should feel like a craftsperson who takes his work seriously — warm but not soft, proud but not arrogant. This is the voice of someone who knows what he's doing and takes care with every piece.
Max didn't have a brand. Now he has a complete identity system, 13 naming options, three voice directions, and a brand brief he can hand to any designer going forward. Here's what FORGED delivered.