Here are some samples of our work for Velotec. They hired us to create their product catalogue for 2010.

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Products of a company are usually organized in the so called product catalogues. Product catalogues contain structured information about the products and services that your company offers. They are usually logically organized and nicely arranged in themes or series.

The purpose of a product catalogue is to persuade and sell. You should be well aware of this before even thinking of having a product catalogue. If done properly, the product catalogue is a powerful sales tool.

We, at ad-creative.net have been designing product catalogues for over six years now. Here are a few tips that we can give you to kick start your product catalogue campaign.

1. As a rule of thumb, a business must have a product catalogue when your company has more than 10 products. However, thick catalogues with 100 pages will never be read carefully, so don’t waste your time and money.

2. Showcase only your best products in the product catalogue of your company. Remember that you have to impress and sell – you don’t have to show everything.

3. Make a plan. This may sound obvious but let me elaborate a bit more. In order to avoid disappointment it is always good to make a detailed planning. Let’s say that you identified the need for your business to have a product catalogue and you have shortlisted your most beautiful and appealing products. Now you have to think about your target audience – people that will read your catalogue. Remember you are making a catalogue to make these people buy your products. Here are some good points to think about:

a. Size does matter! – A4, A6, A5… Think about ergonomics, in general make their life easy. Think about Portrait or Landscape orientation

b. 16 million vs. 2 – To put it another way colorful or B&W implementation. In most of the cases it will be colorful. If you are making a clothes product catalogue black and white option is impossible. However, remember that color drives the production cost up. It may make situation more difficult if you have to match corporate identity colors of your company etc.

c. Format – Your product catalogue should be available in different formats. You must have digital .pdf version of your product catalogue. Some companies actually never print their catalogues but distribute them entirely online. However, older target audiences still prefer paper based product catalogues. Remember that .pdf product catalogue is always cheaper that a paper based one.

d. Product photography. You want to showcase your products, so you want to have a picture of them. Make sure that the pictures are professionally done on a white or gray background. If hiring a photographer is above your budget get a decent 8 MP camera (doesn’t have to be professional) and big white sheet. Put your product in the middle of the big white sheet and take a picture using tripod (unless you have a very steady hand). I know it sounds a little bit unprofessional, but you will be surprised when you see the results. You might have to edit the pictures in Photoshop.

e. Use bold, clear and easy to read typeface – Verdana is my favorite.
4. Landscape please – If you decide to have a digital version of your product catalogue ALWAYS use landscape. Most designers neglect this peculiarity of the digital media. You should avoid what we call “scrolling design”, meaning that the reader should scroll to read/see the product. Think about a powerpoint presentation – this is the ideal format for online catalogue. Most people just make a digital clone of their paper based product catalogue which is a mistake.

5. Check your competitors – As a business you should know what your competitors are doing. If they have a product catalogue get it and study it carefully. Imagine that you are a customer. What makes you like/dislike their catalogue? This is not stealing! This is what I would call “modification” – do not bluntly copy and paste – it will make you look cheap.

6. Think about the distribution – Even if you produce the most beautiful and appealing product catalogue, it will be useless if nobody reads it and takes action to purchase. Think how you will send it to your customers – mail or download. Some newspapers offer bundled advertising – you pay to the newspaper and give them your catalogue and they bundle each newspaper with one of your catalogues as a present. In this way, if you target a specialized newspaper you can reach laser targeted audience.

7. Your products and reputation are what actually is being sold. This is my last tip – remember it! Your product catalogue quality is useless if you do not have quality products to offer. A good catalogue is not a good product. Your primary concern is to offer value to the client and the beautiful product catalogue is just a sales tool.

If you are new to product catalogues you can always get advice from http://ad-creative.net, by contacting us directly. We can carry out detailed analysis of your product catalogue and product portfolio needs at affordable prices.