Customer Reviews

Catalog Design: The Art of Creating Desire

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Dianna Edwards and Robert Valentine effectively collaborate in Catalog Design: The Art Of Creating Desire to showcase some of the most effective and trend setting developments and examples of the catalog as an American art form in service to the business of selling goods through promoting images. Of special interest is the opening chapter on the history of the catalog and its impact on the popular culture as well as individual aspirations. Profusely illustrated throughout, Catalog Design is highly recommended reading for students of American business, catalog designers, and anyone who ever picked up and leafed through a mail-order "dream book".

I bought this book to gain an understanding on how to design catalogs that make people want to buy. In my mind, I envisioned the jewelry ads that make you want gold even though you don't usually buy that sort of thing. And, I was looking for something doable - like in a home studio. But, it's more of a high end art book featuring examples of magazine type ads. What does it teach? Here are the chapters: Desire, Relevance, Trust, Resonance, Connection. The font is really, really big and changes throughout - which I find distracting. There are fancy pictures throughout with elaborate scenes and models. It's mostly abstract advertising - not catalog design. I'm sure that this is a great book for the right person. But, I don't get it.