Catalog strategy, art direction and production

There is NOTHING quite like the sound of a printed book hitting a table. From large catalogs with multiple versions for pricing and language through short run digital prints for targeted sales tools I’ve had my eyes, heart and hands in the work. It is one of my favorite things to create.

Large print projects require organization of text and visual content to streamline production and ensure a consistent brand experience. Clear production communications and planning are especially critical as the size and breadth of a catalog grows.

Above: To keep such a large amount of content organized, I created a solution in Airtable (a cloud-based database platform) where partners in the product team could validate product copy in advance of catalog production. That system grew into a homegrown PIM (Product Information Management system) where the ecom, retail, creative and sales teams were able to easily find product descriptions, bullet points and related product content for thousands of styles over time. I managed and wrote this content for many years. This content and data from Excel and CSV files was brought into InDesign via Easy Catalog, a robust plugin. Having good data is gold.

Catalog projects were produced with a varying range of team members, occasionally with up to 25 or 30 individuals involved in proofing through multiple stages.

2024 Uniform Guide, 124 pages (177MB)

Spring 2022 Full Line Catalog, 324 pages (88MB)

Spring 2024 Consumer Wholesale Buyers’ Guide, 109 pages (66MB)

I’ve designed and produced a mountain of catalog pages in my time at 5.11. Above are just a few recent examples of completed projects for different sales channels.

“Good creative process takes practice.”