We’ve said it so many times, but unapologetically – you only make a first impression once! Think about the implications of that statement for a few moments. It’s said that most recruitment decisions are made within ten seconds of the interviewer meeting the candidate. Google tells us that people look at web sites for less than a second before deciding whether to open the page or not …
Design essentials
And so it is with catalogues! You’ve spent all this time deciding the essentials of what to put in it, and who it’s aimed at … you need to spend an equivalent amount of time working on its design.
Think about it. What makes you pick up and browse a catalogue if you see one, or if one gets delivered to you? It’s the whole package isn’t it? So what are all the characteristics that make up the perfect catalogue that you need to be considering?
Inspiring cover
Let’s start with the obvious – the cover. This is vitally important, of course. It’s the first thing you see – it’s what makes that all important first impression – so it had better be good. It needs to draw people in and inspire them to open it up. How do we achieve this? Well, the message is key – it needs to be obvious what the catalogue is going to reveal, without giving too much information and looking too “busy”. Tantalising, perhaps? “Less is more” springs to mind. A powerful title supported by quality imagery, collectively and subtly saying “open me” to the potential customer.
Balanced content
Once opened, the contents of course need to be equally well designed. Think carefully about how you want each page to look, how each item is shown off to its best effect. The choice of photographs and text are crucial.
And consider the overall look and feel of the catalogue too. The choice and mix of colours, the fonts used, the quality of the paper and even the binding are important factors (and we’ll be looking at some of these in greater detail).
Above all, use your creative powers to think differently, and thus to differentiate. People are waiting expectantly to open your catalogue … they just don’t know it yet!
To help you create your own catalogue, we’ve produced a handy FREE catalogue design guide with details on the steps you need to take to create your own perfect catalogue.