A Beginner’s Guide to Product Catalog Design (2024)

Design InspirationProducts

Miranda StandingJun 21, 2024Jun 21, 2024

A useful marketing tool for all industries, catalogs are marketing booklets that list products or services and give key details that influence potential buyers. In addition to showcasing your products, catalogs can also draw in new customers, increase brand visibility, and boost sales. Catalogs can be sent to potential customers via direct mail. This is a great option for promoting repeat buyers and reaching new audiences. Now that you know what a catalog is and what a few of the benefits are, let’s jump into how you go about creating a catalog.

Designing a catalog can be a daunting task. As with other books and booklets, you must think about the design of multiple pages and spreads. Everything must come together to create a cohesive look for your brand. This can be difficult, so let’s break down the process. Here are the steps you can take to begin designing a catalog:

Find Your Target Audience

When creating catalogs, it is important to keep in mind your specific target audience. Who your catalog is meant for will change how you design. To get the most return on your investment, you should tailor your design to match the lifestyle of your audience. For example, if your business sells boho swimwear, you might want to tailor your catalog to fit a surfer or beachy aesthetic that matches your beach-loving audience. In this case, you should include images taken at beaches and use other ocean imagery.

Pick a Size

Before beginning your design, you should choose a finish size and page count. Picking these values ahead of time will prevent costly mistakes down the line. The standard finish size for catalogs is 8.5 x 11 inches, but this isn’t your only option. 5.5 x 8.5 inches is another common size, but Greenerprinter can print any sized catalog you might need! Your page count can be adjusted later, but it can be helpful to have an idea about how many pages you have to fill before creating content. The page count can also affect which binding style you can choose. This is particularly important if you want to use saddle stitching to bind your catalog.

Curious about saddle stitching? Learn more: What is the Best Page Count for Saddle Stitch Binding?

Gather Your Content

At this point, you should begin gathering the content that you would like to put in your catalog. One of the most important parts of any catalog is having beautiful images of your products. All images that you plan to include should be high quality. This means that they have a high enough resolution to print at your desired size. Your catalog will also need text content. Catalogs typically include descriptions of products and other important information like price, sizes, colors, versions, models, etc. You can also choose to include longer chunks of text in section introductions or in short articles, like those in magazines. No matter what type of copy you add to your catalog, be sure to thoroughly proofread everything multiple times. Nothing is worse than noticing an easily–fixable typo too late.

Design the Layouts

Now that you have your content and a plan for your size, you can begin designing your catalog. Be sure to include all of the product images and text content that you created. Try emphasizing your best sellers and new items. The design is completely up to you but here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Stay consistent with your fonts and colors. This consistency makes your catalog appear more professional. It also helps readers navigate your booklet easily without being distracted.
2. Add interest with creative design elements. Interesting design elements like patterns or crossover images can make your catalog more enjoyable to look at. These options are a great way to add personality and visual interest to your catalog.
3. Use white space. Catalogs can become very cluttered when a brand tries to highlight every product. Make sure to leave white space to create breathing room in your design. This keeps your spreads from feeling overwhelming to readers.
4. Don’t forget your branding. Make sure to include your logo, business name, contact information, brand colors, and other branding elements throughout the booklet. This helps readers recognize it as your brand, even from a distance.
5. Number the pages. Adding page numbers can help readers find and remember products that they are interested in. Most consumers will remember “that shirt on page 14”, rather than the actual item’s name.

Decide on Final Printing Details

After completing your design, you’re almost ready to send your catalogs off to print! All that is left is to decide a few final details.

1. Paper Type. We recommend choosing a cover stock for your catalog’s cover and a text stock for your interior pages. The cover stock will create a sturdy cover, while the text stock makes the catalog more affordable to print. You will also get to pick between different paper finishes. For catalogs, we recommend choosing either matte or glossy paper. Glossy paper will make your images pop, while matte paper will make text easier to read.
2. Color. Catalogs can be printed in black and white or in full color. Full color is the most common option as it allows your vibrant images to stand out. However, there is a slight discount for printing in only black and white.
3. Additional Finishing. There are a variety of additional finishing techniques that can be applied to your catalogs. Consider adding foils, embossing, or soft-touch coating to the cover. We can also add fold-out pages or remit envelopes.
4. Distribution. There are multiple ways to get your catalogs out into the world. You could pass them out by hand or send them directly to people’s homes via direct mail. Greenerprinter can do all of the shipping for you. We can even print individual addresses on each catalog, thanks to our variable data printing technology.

We are excited to help make your catalogs a reality. Greenerprinter offers full customization on all products, including booklets, like programs, manuals, and lookbooks, and marketing and promotional items, like catalogs, business cards, and doorhangers. This means that you have full control over how the final product looks. We also offer mailing services, so you don’t have to worry about getting to the post office in time. Want to learn more?

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