catalogs
Catalogs are among the most complex and time consuming design projects. Whether it's consumer-oriented or technical document, work on the catalog usually involves page layout, photo editing, creation or customization of illustrations, tables and charts. As with most multiple-page document projects, the most appropriate tools for the catalog design are inDesign, CorelDraw or Quark Xpress but Adobe illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are usually involved in the process too. Final project delivered in print-ready and low resolution downloadable PDF formats (or other formats if requested).
work process:
Work on catalog project is usually a teamwork! Graphic designer, technical writers and marketing professionals all work together. Of course size and complexity of the catalog depends on product line and number of products in production, and sometimes collecting of all catalog content is real challenge. I prefer to work with technical writer after all content is ready, but I'm not always that lucky.
advice to clients:
Try to plan realistically, work on catalog usually involves several revisions, and not only revisions of the layouts but revisions of the content. Do not schedule printing until work on catalog is completed. Proofread every page – even little mistake can be very costly! It's a good idea to order hard-copy proof from printshop before printing the whole order.