Many graphic design studios are called upon to develop catalogs. We are no exception and we do this work with great pleasure. Normally this process starts in an Excel spreadsheet, where all the products, their codes and their respective technical characteristics are listed.
One of the essential things for a good performance is to define as soon as possible the number of pages that the catalog (if printed) will have. This number of pages, plus their format, plus the type of paper and plus the binding process will allow the printer to make a budget.
Let’s do it by steps:
1st Page format: we have the traditional A4 format, which has the advantage of fitting into standard envelopes and being sent by the Post Office. But some customers want different shapes, squares, a little more horizontal. Defining this format is essential for step 2.
2nd Number of products per page: Define how many products fit, with good reading, on this page. It really depends on the customer’s product. We can have pages with just one product, to give it a lot of prominence, or much more… 6, 8…12 products per page depending on how the photos and features are. Dividing the number of products in the table by the number of products per page, we get the number of pages. It is good to point out that most of the time this number of pages must be a multiple of 4.
3th What kind of paper does the customer want? Matte or glossy? Will the cover be thicker, or made of the same material as the inside?
4th Will the binding be with staple, spiral, square spine or hardcover? The most common and at a good price is stapled. It’s fine up to a certain amount of pages, because it can start to loosen the middle pages if it gets too thick. This type requires the number of pages to be a multiple of 4. Preferably a multiple of 16, as binding machines fold a whole sheet of 16 sheets quickly. The spiral is very useful for the seller who will keep the catalog open for a long time, using it as a base for explanation, as it does not loosen the sheets with use. And also you can include leaves in it without much trouble. The hardcover makes the catalog much more elegant and calls for art to match.
After these decisions, it’s time to make a budget. Before that, I suggest not starting the art.
I’ll be back in another article to talk more about catalogs.
