Catalogs have been used by established companies for many years, and the benefits can be far reaching. Popular brands have embraced catalogs as a powerful vehicle for communicating the characteristics of their products and services. A catalog should illustrate the product or service features and benefits – and this is achieved through carefully designed marketing materials that are attractive and engaging to the target audience.
However, not every catalog will appeal to the audience you are targeting. You could spend thousands of dollars or more developing a product catalog that mostly ends up in the garbage. This is usually a result of having a design that is too basic or that lacks detail and direction.
This article is aimed at targeting the most crucial aspects of creating an effective catalog design that will appeal to your target audience.
Table of Contents
The catalog design approach matters
Your aim is to attract the attention of your audience, and therefore the design, layout, and images should be of the highest possible quality. These elements should also be well organized to communicate information about your products and services with as much clarity and relevance as possible. For example, a watch maker’s catalog will look very different from a food store catalog, because the depth of information and the image quality/layout in the design need to be different.
Ensure the design is geared towards your audience
Your main objective is to convert potential customers into orders, so therefore the catalog’s design must be geared towards appealing to the target customer. The design approach for different age groups needs to be identified, as each group will find different design aspects appealing. Sometimes you may also want a catalog for a variety of audiences, in which case your professional catalog designer needs to adopt a branded, targeted style – so that ideally every category of your audience has something eye-catching, to keep them interested in your design.
Establish your catalog size and format
When designing a catalog, you should avoid crowding too many items together. Adequate spacing will help to ensure that your products are easily found and the main benefits are clearly understood. You may also have products and services that can be distinctly showcased in each section and therefore the design should reflect that goal. Consider the catalog’s page count; the attention span of your audience should help dictate the number of pages you need for your document. Also, if you have a younger audience, colorful product photos may be more important than long descriptions. You may want to space the images out more than usual too – as it may help to increase the impact of these photos on this particular audience.
Invest in high-quality images
High quality images are crucial to the success of your catalog. It is helpful to feature the images of higher-value, more popular products in upper sections so they are more prominent on the pages. Other items that are not as popular, but you still want in the catalog, should be featured below or beside the most popular/feature item. Items of lower value or that might not be as popular should be left out if you want to keep your catalog page count low. Ideally the products with the highest revenues should catch the eye of the audience first. Either hire a professional photographer or take professional quality photos of your product. If you select the best images possible and ensure they have a high, print quality resolution–you will likely be pleased by the final catalog design and the results you achieve in your target market.
All businesses need to need to keep evolving and maximizing their potential growth. Well-designed catalogs can be crucial in promoting this growth.
Take some time to find a reliable, experienced and professional catalog designer today – and you will see the opportunity to stand out from your competitors.
