Matthew Fey, Creative Director
What’s the secret to a successful marriage?
OK, confession. I’m not married, so really how the hell would I know? Just bear with me here. This is going somewhere. Thanks to copious amounts of TV and movie viewing, along with observing my married friends, I’ve come to see what contributes to a good marriage. Like any relationship, the most successful couples thrive on the combination of communication, cooperation and compromise.
Coincidentally, great catalog design adheres to many of these same principles. Relationships rely on the compatibility between two people. Successful catalog design relies on the compatibility between pictures and text, showing and telling, brand and selling.
But unlike relationships between people, successful catalog design lies in a deceptively simple concept. The secret?
Geometry.
(Look, I know what you’re thinking. Technically, if you wanted to be naughty, you could consider geometry a component of a successful relationship between people as well, but I’m not going there. Not right now anyway. Maybe another time. Is there a J.Schmid “After Dark” column? There should be.)
Anyway…geometry. Spatial relationships. That’s what makes elements on a catalog page live in harmony. Everything working together to give readers a clear, easy to follow visual narrative that guides them to a purchase decision. Geometry. The combination of squares, rectangles, lines, rows, columns.
Yes, the content in those shapes (photos, copy) contributes mightily to the experience. However, if you assemble the basic framework of the page in a confused jumble of incongruous geometry, you risk losing readers at square one.
Want to create catalog pages that will live together in harmony and happiness? Here are 3 keys to a successful marriage of geometry and catalog design:
1. “Give Me Space”
Every couple needs room to breathe now and then. The same holds true for catalogs. Design your pages with breathing room between elements. Don’t run long slabs of text together. Don’t cram too many photos on a page. Delineate clear separation between products, between pictures, between text.
The human eye needs rest. If it’s looking at a page where everything butts up against one another, it feels trapped. Confined. That’s never good in any relationship. A little white space can go a long way to give everything enough space to be by itself while still working together.
2. “Baby, I Can Change”
If you go into a relationship expecting only the other person to change, you may not be in that relationship very long. You have to be prepared to change, too. In a catalog, every change impacts everything else on the page. You can’t change one thing without affecting another. Here’s an example.
Imagine you design an entire page, and in one area, you allot space for a square photo. Then, based on feedback or photography, the photo now requires a vertical, not square, orientation. Since there’s no such thing as a “tall square,” you can’t try to force that vertical photo into a square space. The space has to change. And so does everything else.
3. “Let’s Compromise”
Every successful couple navigates compromise, the push and pull, the give and take. So does the geometry of the catalog. As a visual medium, photos should (almost) always outweigh copy. Yet copy has its place, so you want to make sure you give it proper space.
Easy rule: Don’t place body copy directly above the photo of the product it’s describing. The eye will be drawn down to the photo, and gravity will prevent it from tracking back up to read that copy block.
Another easy rule: Design your page in grids – two column, three column, four column. This will help keep your elements organized. Vary those throughout the book to create visual variety and pacing. You can also manipulate the geometry and break those grids, but you have to be aware of what you’re giving up.
And that’s compromise.
Marriage is a commitment. So is good catalog design. Understanding the geometry of the page – how elements work together, how they occupy their space, how shapes form an experience – will help you honor that commitment until death do you part.
Need relationship advice? Email me at mattf@jschmid.com or call 913-236-8988
Tags: catalog design, catalog geometry, catalog layout, Matthew Fey