6 Great Insights for Creating an Engaging Catalogue Design

Catalogue design plays very important role play in marketing as well as branding. Beside listing all products in a comprehensive format for the audience’s reference, a catalogue design also gives them an overall idea of what the brand is about. 

In addition to a product list and a brand story, a catalogue design should also include the audience in mind; it should contain just enough information for their understanding, and some practical knowledge, too, if possible. 

Here are 6 things to consider in developing your catalogue design: 

1. Compile first

To ensure a smooth and efficient design process, organize and sort your all products in an Excel, Numbers or Sheets document, then double check to make sure that the list is final before briefing the designer.

Keep in mind that it takes much less time to reorganize a list beforehand than to rearrange the pages of a catalogue later when a certain product should be added or removed.

Here are several things that should be on the list:
• Category names
• Sorting numbers
• Product names under each category
• Pictures of each product
• Product information (size, color, material, code, price, etc.)

Most catalogues are designed based on a grid system, so placing additional products or removing some products from the mix can mean long hours of editing the following pages.

2. Tell a story

A catalogue may contain plenty of pages, so the audience needs something to guide them and keep them interested as they flip through every page.

Get a complete understanding of your whole product range, and use each product/category as plot points in forming a narrative that fits the brand.

Photography is very useful in telling a story, so a lifestyle photo session is highly recommended.

3. Use high quality images

Every photo in your catalogue represents a product that you are selling, so high quality images surely suggest high quality products.

Invest in a professional photography service to capture your products in the best way possible.

Good photography inspires good design which results in good sales.

4. Represent

Some product details (e.g. colors, finishes, materials) can feel redundant if present in every other product description.

Create an index section containing some codes or icons to represent each of them in the product descriptions.

An examples of index section for color reference.

5. Make it functional

Always keep the audience in mind when developing a catalogue design.

Arrange the products in a certain way so that it is easy for them to figure out what each product does and which ones suit their needs.

On top of a clear categorization, practical tips and directions for use help the audience in making an informed decision.

6. Get personal

Your brand should have a personality, and so should your catalogue.

Be it formal or casual, quirky or conventional, make sure that it comes through the catalogue design and content.

The cool quirks of the Steven Shell brand is consistently shown in their catalogue design through unexpected layouts and inspiring quotes.

So, are you ready to make your catalogue design? Or are you interested in our photography service? Let’s talk. 

You can also click on each image above to get more details on the project.