Catalogue design
Trade buyers keep a good catalogue within reach, in print on the counter or as a PDF on the desktop, so every stock code, description and photograph has to be right. Catalogues are one of the things Vanilla Rain knows best, and the Newbury, West Berkshire studio treats product data as seriously as page layout.
The aim is a catalogue, price list and online store that agree with one another. Alistair Graham works from your product spreadsheet or system export, builds a layout that new lines can slot into, and hands over files your own team can update, wherever in the UK you are based.
The work
How a catalogue is built
Product data first
Codes, descriptions, sizes and prices come from your spreadsheet or system export, are checked for gaps and duplicates, and are mapped to the layout before any page is designed.
A page system that scales
Grids, paragraph styles and table formats are set up once, so a short range and a very large one follow the same rules and new products slot in later.
Navigation buyers use
Section tabs, indexes by stock code and by product name, and running heads on every spread, so a part can be found from either end of the book.
Photographs handled with layout
Product shots are cropped, cut out and colour-matched to sit consistently on the page. Missing or poor images can be replaced with new product photography as part of the same job.
Print and PDF from one source
Files for the press and a lighter, linked PDF for email and the website, both exported from the same document so the two versions never disagree.
Prices kept in step
Prices can sit in a separate list keyed to stock codes, so a price rise does not force a reprint, and the same product data can feed your online store.
Relevant work
Stock and specification catalogues
Tecsa Reco
Tecsa Reco’s printed main catalogue, covering the South African supplier’s complete stock range with codes, descriptions and photographs, alongside a separate refrigeration range catalogue.
Toolquip & Allied
Printed catalogues for several Toolquip & Allied industrial tool lines, each product listed with its stock code, description and photograph.
BRP South Africa (Can-Am)
Vehicle and accessory specifications for the Can-Am ATV and SSV range, set out as a catalogue for BRP South Africa for print and on-screen use.
Ashur Lighting
Photographs of the Ashur Lighting range, from plain product and detail views to in-use and styled shots, made for its catalogue and online store.
Catalogue design
Selected work
A selection of recent projects. The full portfolio has more.
Where the work happens
Newbury, West Berkshire and further afield
Catalogue work is run from Newbury, mostly remotely: product data, proofs and comments move by email and video call, so a distributor in Basingstoke, Swindon or Oxford is served the same way as one at the other end of the country. Where it helps to handle the range itself with your product team, a working day at your premises can be arranged.
Questions
Common questions
Can you work from our existing product spreadsheet?
Yes, and it is the best starting point. A spreadsheet, or data pulled from your stock system, puts codes, descriptions and prices in one place. Any gaps, such as missing images or inconsistent units, are listed back to you to resolve.
What happens when our prices change mid-year?
If prices live in a separate list keyed to stock codes, only that list is updated and reissued. Where prices must appear beside each product, the layout is built so they refresh from the data rather than being retyped.
What does a catalogue cost, and how is that worked out?
The figure comes from a written scope: pages, products, any photography, formats and proof rounds. You get one fixed price for the job before work starts. If the range grows or the brief changes, the extra is quoted separately and goes ahead only once you agree.
Will you deal with our printer and our web developer?
Yes. Print files are built around what your printer asks for, and product data and images can be supplied in whatever format your developer or e-commerce platform needs. Alistair is the single contact for both.
What is in the final handover?
The packaged InDesign document with its linked images, the product data as used, the press-ready PDF and the linked screen PDF. Next year’s edition can be started from those files by anyone with InDesign.
Services
Related to catalogue design
Online catalogue systems
One central product database feeding your website, price lists and printed catalogues, so product information is updated once and stays accurate everywhere.
Product photography
Consistent product photography for online stores, catalogues and advertising, covering every angle, detail and in-use shot a buyer needs to decide.
Retouching and image manipulation
Product retouching, clipping, colour matching and composites finished to a brand standard, so every image in a range looks consistent and ready to use.
Print design
Brochures, flyers, posters and printed collateral designed and prepared for the press, with colour, folds and finishes checked so the print run matches the proof.
Desktop publishing
Manuals, reports, price lists, tenders and technical documents set up properly, so long documents stay consistent and late changes never break the layout.
Magazine design and layout
A magazine design system with grids, type and templates that work with real content, and issue-by-issue layout that goes to print on time.
Send your product data
A sample of your product spreadsheet, the current catalogue if there is one and a note of the formats you need are enough for a useful first reply and a fixed quote. Or call Alistair on 07585 263824.
Design studio in Newbury, West Berkshire. Brand, design, visual production and digital marketing, handled by one studio from the first brief to the finished work.
Services
Studio
Contact
- ag@vanillarain.co.uk
- 07585 263824
- Newbury, West Berkshire
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