The front cover of this audio software catalog “does a good job of showing product,” said one judge. Another panelist raved that “the back cover is even better, combining awards, testimonials, products, and discounts – everything you need to establish a new brand.” But while one judge loved the logo up at the top of the catalog’s cover, another said, “Because it is a new catalog, I would have made the logo more prominent.”
Still, the cataloger’s effort to establish a brand is carried throughout the book. “The inside cover does a great job of explaining who Sonic is, and the book makes good use of customer testimonials to add credibility,” said one panelist. And the catalog’s range of product is impressive, noted another judge. “From the opening, the catalog exudes a feeling of energy and never loses focus or consistency.”
While judges felt that a lot of real estate – maybe too much – is given over to copy, they nonetheless described the copy as “informative” and “authoritative, yet appealing to a creative crowd.” One example is the description of ACID Hip-Hop 2.0, software to create club music: “A trunkful of funky rhythms, jiggy beats and bomb needle drops….turns even a novice MC into the ultimate trackmaster.” And, as one judge noted, “when jargon is used, there is a helpful call-out explaining it!”
The book is designed so that the “superb” tech info correlates directly to the product photographs. Each spread is visually balanced, and one judge enthused that the catalog “uses color and type to deliver a lot of technical information in an organized way that is not confusing.”
But no catalog is worth its salt if it doesn’t provide good customer service. Happily, most judges were pleased with what Sonic Foundry has to offer and praised the way in which the ordering information is concentrated at the back of the book. “And the catalog includes info about its online goodies such as tutorials,” said a panelist. Another judge, however, criticized the lack of an order form.
Sonic Foundry may target a very specific audience of wired music makers, but even the judges with little knowledge of audio software appreciated the catalog. Said one impressed judge: “It makes me want to crank up the PC and make some music! This book tells me that making music is fun – even for someone as musically challenged as I am!”