Presenting products in a catalog connects consumers with your brand, inspiring action — but you need a top-notch catalog designer to ensure it’s done right. Our experience with catalog design shows that your brand needs strong visuals to communicate its expertise. Used right, catalogs can be an integral part of omnichannel marketing campaigns, creating a consistent brand experience for consumers. Here’s why you need a catalog designer to showcase your products and business.
Before Starting a Catalog Design Project
Think about your target audience. Print catalogs work best when designed with a target audience in mind. Gather demographic data to understand why your audience is purchasing and using your products, especially why they choose your products over competitors. Use the data gathered to create the look and set the tone of voice for your print piece.
The call to action for your customers needs to be transparent throughout your catalog so that customers know what to do when they are ready to make a purchase. Experienced catalog designers will have ideas for highlighting your call to action.
Showcase your best sellers. Identify which products are most popular with your target audience, and focus on those items. Look at product descriptions and pricing from a buyers’ point of view, making the copy detailed yet easy to read and follow. The front and back cover and the first page of a catalog make the biggest splash, so choose wisely when selecting which images to feature.
Choose which catalog format you need. All catalogs are created digitally, but the finished product can be printed, digital, or both. An experienced catalog designer can help you choose the best format for your needs. If you opt to print your catalog, a catalog designer will help you find and secure an affordable, reputable printer to partner with. They will make recommendations for the finished size, paper weight, binding, and other print techniques, keeping your budget top of mind.
The Catalog Design Process
Start by drafting a list of the products you want to include in the catalog. It is essential to do this early on to ensure that you have all of the images and that they are print-ready. Experienced catalog designers will work with you to choose a look and style, ensuring that your catalog reflects your business branding.
Well-written copy is also critical for catalogs, as it can make a huge difference in sales. Huckleberry Branding offers content writing and project management services to help make this process easier. We can serve as your main point of contact, collecting content, pricing information, and images from your partners and editing or writing product descriptions to fit within your brand guidelines.
When planning the timing of a catalog, you must include a significant amount of time at the end of the production process for proofing the final version before sending it to the printer or adding the digital catalog to your website. Mistakes happen, so get as many people as possible to look over the catalog as many times as possible before approving it.
The catalog design process can be overwhelming, especially when you’re managing it all independently. Let us help! We have extensive experience and can guide you through the process.
