BREAKTHROUGH CREATIVE

PART 2: THE PHYSICS OF CREATIVE What if I told you it’s possible to increase response by 5% or more? Sometimes returning to the proven foundations of effective catalog design can make that happen. Yes, the role of the catalog has changed over the last 10 years – dramatically. But what hasn’t changed is the […]

Catalog Critique For Dummies (actually, just anyone that isn’t a Creative Director)

Critiquing a catalog can be overwhelming. Maybe you’re so close to your brand that it’s hard to maintain objectivity. Maybe your focus is merchandise, so product presentation is most important to you. Maybe you’re not a Creative Director, so reviewing work is intimidating. (We can’t all be Creative Directors.) (I’m not a Creative Director.) There […]

Enough with the “Templates” already!

Once upon a time, in the land of Catalog Design, there lived a monster named “Templates.” This beast sucked the creativity out of the village of designers and wiped out an entire generation of innovative spreads. Its goal was to make all catalog pages look the same and remove any sign of brand uniqueness or […]

Aliens, Content and Conversion

There’s a conspiracy underway in the catalog business. It’s happening right under our noses. You know what I’m talking about, copy kidnappers! Someone has been rounding up copywriters and turning them into CONTENT EDITORS! “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” comes to mind. You know, the “snatched people” attend to their daily tasks, but they really […]

He said YES!

Who said “yes” to what? I’ll get to that in a minute. First, let me share a story. Decades ago, we heard the following from almost every food retailer we worked with: “We want our catalog to look like Harry & David’s.” Why Harry & David? Because at one time, they set the standard for […]

Does your catalog cover suck?

Admitting it is the first step to re-cover-y. Look at your most recent catalog cover. Really look at it. Imagine it was the first time you were ever seeing it. Would it get your attention? Would it make you want to stop and open it? Or…and be honest…does your cover suck? (It’s ok. Just admit […]