Classic Merchandise Begs For Better Catalog Effort

Florentine Craftsmen Inc. catalog’s greatest strength is its extraordinary merchandise. Every piece in the book looks like it could have graced one of the Newport mansions or been seen in some Hollywood movie with Greta Garbo whispering into Clark Gable’s ear. Words such as elegant, classic, timeless, artisan, gilded-age, wealthy and beautiful best describe the book’s goods. I can’t say the same about the current catalog, however, as it doesn’t live up to the standard of the merchandise it sells.

The catalog has the classic look of a B-to-B company that’s been selling the same merchandise for years, but hasn’t allocated enough time, attention or resources to keeping the catalog fresh and up to date. Because the merchandise is extraordinary, the book works well enough that it isn’t a failure. But it never does well enough to justify spending more, a common problem for smaller catalogers.

Because of an article reprint included in the catalog, I know that the old 80/20 rule applies. (Eighty percent of sales comes from 20 percent of the products.) Florentine Craftsmen’s current catalog strategy is: It has the molds to make pieces that don’t sell, and those items don’t have to be re-shot, so they still go into the catalog. Pages never meet their hurdle rate, sales stay stagnant, and the brand never gets the cachet it needs to thrive.

Redesign

I’d recommend several things to make this catalog work better. The first and most expensive way is to re-shoot all the items in the catalog so they have the upscale look of the Grand Acanthus Leaf Fountain on page 35. A more cost-effective approach would be to do a smaller catalog with the best sellers and call out the extended inventory online. The least expensive way to go would be to do a four-color cover wrap and make all the images inside black and white. To tie the look of the catalog together, I recommend using typography from the gilded age (think “The Great Gatsby”). This brings forth a consistent look and keeps the newer color images from making the black and white images look like an afterthought, as they do in the current catalog.

Organization

The catalog is not well organized and could benefit from more articulate product lines. Once the items are regrouped, I would make sure the best-
selling products get the most space and are on the right-hand page, top right. I would put the Web address and phone numbers on the bottom where people expect to find them.

Photography

An inexpensive way to improve the existing photography would be to add drop shadows. The Star and Dolphin Chaise Lounge on page 3 uses the natural shadow, which is the most elegant way to do a drop shadow. Drop shadows help explain the shape of the product and give it depth.

An inexpensive way to improve the outdoor photography would be to make the background out of focus. It’s best to do this in camera because you get the most natural results, but it also can be done in Photoshop. This separates the product from the background and makes a busy background less distracting, as well as an uninteresting background less prominent.

Versions

For small catalogers who need a wholesale and retail catalog, a price list may be the only cost-effective option. One way to work around this is to do a black plate change (the prices are run in black type, and only the black plate is changed to produce the same catalog with multiple pricing structures).

Ease of Shopping

Ease of shopping always is a problem when you have a price list rather than prices printed in the catalog. This means designers should make the price list easy to use with the catalog. Florentine Craftsmen’s price list is organized by item numbers. Unfortunately not all the products have item numbers. This creates confusion for the customer and often will end what could have been a positive shopping experience. Customers will never reward you with more time — they’ll just move on to the next vendor.

Copy

The copy is too sparse for such expensive items. There needs to be both romance and salesmanship. Most of the products in the catalog have a history that would add interest and brand awareness to the catalog. The article reprint that was inserted in the catalog mentioned that one fountain had been sold to a Saudi prince. I would bet that there are fabulous stories about estates, museums and famous places where these products appear. These stories are what create the brand image for the customer. This applies to consumer and B-to-B customers.

Sarah Fletcher is creative director at Providence, R.I.-based Catalog Design Studios. She can be reached at (401) 490-0530 or sfletcher@catalogdesignstudios.com.

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