Latest Catalog Trends

JCPenney, Lands' End and L.L. Bean all have one thing in common: they're among the top 10 most popular catalogs in the United States according to a survey by Catalog Age* magazine. Even though these catalogs have been around for decades, they manage to change with the times and stay on top of catalog printing and design trends. To follow in their successful footsteps, take heed of the latest catalog trends.

Large Fonts
To grab readers' attention, more catalogs are using large fonts that cover an entire page or spread. The important thing to remember with this trend is that you can't cover any important part of a photo with the text. Be sure to keep the text on an unobtrusive part of the catalog page.

Minimal Text
I suppose using large fonts kind of lends itself to using minimal text, but even in catalogs where the text isn't huge, no longer will you see paragraphs of text. Keep the details down to the basics about each product; you can refer readers to your Web site for more details, where each product has its own page, if you want to showcase more about a certain product or line of products.

Unique Catalog Sizes
Instead of the usual 8.5" x 11" catalog, catalogers are using odd dimensions to make the catalog stand out from the rest of the mail. A popular size these days is a 12" x 12" catalog. You can go with any size you want, but use common sense; if you have fewer products, go down from the traditional size. If you have more products to include, go up a few sizes from your norm.

Large Photo Spreads
Another trend we're seeing is the use of a large photo spread to showcase many products at one time. Although this is most popular in clothing catalogs, others are using it now. The great thing about this technique is that you can showcase a lot of products in a real life type of setting. For instance, a camping equipment feature could show a tent with sleeping bags, lamps, cookware, etc. all in the same photo. The key to this kind of spread is to clearly label each item with a number or a letter and keep those corresponding product descriptions in a logical flow around the perimeter of the spread.

Many Images
Catalog designers are trying to get the most for their money, so they're using more photos and graphic images per page. That's not to say to clutter your page; most catalogers are just using smaller photos and graphics to fill fewer pages to cut down on printing costs.

Green Paper
More catalogs are using paper that is at least 10 percent post-consumer waste (PCW). Williams-Sonoma, Victoria's Secret and Fair Indigo are just a few of the catalogs that use some type of recycled paper. As consumers get more into the green movement, they're forcing catalogs to print on green paper. Not a problem, it seems, since going green is one of the biggest trends of the year.

*Catalog Age has merged with Operations & Fulfillments magazine to create Multichannel Merchant magazine.