Use a couple of the silk neck ties you bought him for Fathers day gifts when you were a kid as a backing!
Just joking (kind of ) Try to make it personal by incorporating something meaningful to him either from his heritage or life experiences or special interrests. For Example, the bow I'm working on now is for a friend that started a Motorcycle club. Charity stuff for Greek comunity center and Orthodox church (not drugs and stripclubs......................... I don't think).Any way ,he's very proud of his heritage and they have a really cool club logo that incorporates elements from Greek heraldry. Double headed eagle ,blue and white striped shield . So the bow will have Eagle head nocks and a small painted section on the fades with the blue and white shield .Blue leather grip , with an old Greek coin for the arrow pass.
I made another one for my brother with a leftover from his Cherry cabinets, and some rawhide from a deerhide he gave me a couple of years ago.
Another fella comes to mind that recently used a hide for the handle that his grandfather tanned.