Lofty Designs
11220 Hillwood Dr.
Huntsville, AL 35803-1510

Ph: 256-882-1918
Fx: 256-883-2244

Our Affirmations

Open Letter to Client in Search of Catalog Designers

Open Letter to a Client in Search of a Catalog Design Firm

If you have decided to hire a catalog design agency, permit me to suggest a simple way to go about it. Don’t delegate the selection to a committee of pettifoggers. They usually get it wrong. Do it yourself.

There is a vast amount of technical knowledge as well as skill required to design and prepare a catalog for printing. Your average graphic artist in the back room of the printer does not have all the knowledge and skills in place to do an adequate job. Look for a company that has produced catalogs and knows what they’re doing. Also, confirm that the catalog designer has an opening in their schedule for your catalog job.

One of the most difficult things to evaluate when choosing a design firm is style. Since most designers create a design that matches their client’s need, their portfolio may not show catalogs of the style you are looking for. When reviewing the agencies’ past catalog designs, look at the quality of their work and not necessarily the style. A good designer will give you the style you are looking for but an unskilled catalog designer will create difficulties resulting in cost overruns and delays.

As you interview agencies, ask to see each agency’s six best catalog projects. Determine if they have worked with companies like yours. Do they understand the technology of your industry and can they convert that information into marketing tools. The big question is, do they get it? Can they produce a piece that communicates what you are really selling and make the cash register ring? Ask what the agency charges. Whatever you do, don’t haggle over the agency’s compensation - you have chosen these people based on work you like and they are capable of doing a good job. I know some company’s that insist agencies negotiate terms with their purchasing department, as though they were selling office furniture. You would not do this with doctors and lawyers.

Insist on a contract. This will delight the agency - and protect you from being resigned if one of your competitors ever tries to seduce them with a bigger budget.

Regards and happy hunting,

Michael Mitchell

Copyright 2008 Lofty Designs, Inc. All Company names and product names are properties of their respective owners.