Breaking creative rules

Another cataloger that effectively breaks the format rule is The Black Dog, which uses an unusual horizontal calendar format to extend the life of the catalog and encourage year-round buying.

Then again, our client Bath & Body Works manages to keep costs the same while bending the rules: The toiletries cataloger/retailer uses a horizontal, though standard full-size, format for its catalog.

rule #6

Grouped products don't sell.

Grouping complementary products, either in different photos put together in the layout or in a single shot, typically doesn't sell the goods. Smaller catalogs with budget considerations often try to save money by grouping products, and some designers think that carefully keying each item in a group photo will help sell merchandise. But such strategies often backfire. For one thing, some of the products grouped together in a photo or layout may not relate to each other. For another, in a grouped layout or photo, no product is the hero that draws the reader in.

We worked with designer Mary Engelbreit's country lifestyle magazine to create Breit Ideas, four catalog pages bound into the magazine. One of the pages sold children's products propped in a lifestyle photograph of a room. The page bombed, even though each product in the photo was keyed to the selling copy and prices.

Are there exceptions to the rule about grouping products? Of course. If you're selling books, greeting cards, or advertising specialties - products that tend to be similar to one another - grouping products makes a good deal of sense. For instance, business stationery marketer Brookhollow's Human Resource Ideabook features a number of spreads grouping products such as cards and books, which saves photography and layout time without costing sales.

rule #7

Magalogs don't sell.

A magalog is half-magazine and half-catalog. In the past several years, we have seen more magalogs than ever before. But are there really any truly successful selling efforts from this hybrid format? In most cases, as the amount of nonselling editorial space takes away from sales-oriented real estate, the viability of the catalog as a revenue producer decreases. We have helped create a number of targeted magalogs, but seldom have we seen a gangbuster winner using this format.

That's not to say that a magalog type treatment will never work. Many conventional catalog marketers have increased the use of editorial material in their books, and quite a few have boosted sales with this technique.

For instance, gourmet kitchen products cataloger Williams-Sonoma within the past 18 months has increased its use of editorial sidebars with product tips and recipes. And furnishings and decorative accessories cataloger French Country Living has increased the space devoted to editorial material explaining the history of its products.

This strategy of devoting a limited amount of space to product-related editorial enables marketers to provide added value to customers and "tell their story" without giving up on the purpose of the catalog - to generate sales. If it's important for you to have a straightforward, nonselling communication to customers, think about mailing a newsletter rather than a magalog to keep in touch with customers between catalog drops.

rule #8

A four-color catalog performs better than one- or two-color book.

Generally speaking, yes, four-color presentation looks more attractive, grabs more attention, and generates more sales than a one-color book. What's more, some product lines, such as apparel and cosmetics, require accurate color representation. But in some select cases the sales do not justify the cost of four-color printing and color separations - and you might find that a two-color presentation sets your book apart from competition.

Our client Three Dog Bakery sells canine treats made from whole-grain ingredients. When launching its catalog, the company found that duotones worked well, since the products are brownish in color. As a result, the book cost at least 25% less to print than a four-color catalog would have. Many industrial products marketers sell goods that don't demand a four-color treatment, so they use a four-color cover and one- or two-color pages inside. This strategy has worked well for another of our clients, wholesale plumbing supplies mailer Industrial Thermoplastic Solutions.

Bend or break

As we said earlier, there's a good reason that catalog design principles have become tried and true: They work. Most catalog designers and creative studios have learned the rules the old-fashioned way, through substantial testing and experimentation.

But as with most other rules, catalog creative mainstays can occasionally be bent or broken, as long as you and your design team know what you're doing and why you're doing it. By selectively breaking the rules - and testing each time you do - you might surprise yourself with a boost in sales and profits.