Customer Reviews

How To Create Successful Catalogs

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I learned more about designing catalogs from this book than I learned from my entire college education. It's not so much a graphic design book as it is a formula for content. You'll how to design photos (or articulate your ideas to a professional photographer), how to lay out our front and back covers, how to design an effective order blank, etc.

There are two things I REALLY like about this book. First, it cites good, solid research to back up its recommendations. Second, it doesn't have the "I-know-it-all-and-if-you-don't-follow-me-you'll-fail" attitude that so many do-it-yourself business books have.

You'll also appreciate the abundance of real-life examples the book gives you--you'll look at catalog pages from well-knwon companies like Lands' End, Viking, and Brookstone.

Keep in mind, too, that many of the concepts you'll learn here will carry over into both web site and brochure design.

If you are thinking of putting together a mail order catalog, this should be one of your first investments.

After reading "Catalog Copy That Sizzles", I had to read this book. I found the chapter on creating and writing descriptions of be long and boring.

The rest of the book is a great resource when it comes to creating a catalog, but don't get one book and one author's opinion. Get at least two or three books so you can form your own opinion on how to create your catalog and you can use the tips and techniques of a variety of authors.

If you are thinking of putting together a mail order catalog, this should be one of your first investments. National Mail Order Association Recommended

The content of the book looks ok and all - but - the examples are ridiculously OLD and OUT OF DATE style wise. The copyright of the book is 1985, not 1995. The cell phones, the font, the everything is distractingly 80s. Maybe the content is still good, but I never would have bought it if I had known that this book is over 10 years old.

This is an okay book if you've already figured out the business side of building a catalog business, which I would argue is actually extremely important. This book is more implementation oriented with good color examples of other catalogs. It's more about the production of the catalog which I think is more intuitive. The challenge is finding a new business area that can be profitable.