Creative Cut: The Power of Type

Apparel catalogs, such as Neiman Marcus, and those where avant-garde is not a dirty word, tend to break the rules by using sans serif or even more experimental fonts throughout. As always, one must consider the catalog’s buyer demographics and the trade-off between readability and stylish panaché.

“The best thing you can do when trying to decide on a typeface is take the time to try several options,” reckons Goodman. To judge side-by-side, she says, “Take a sample spread of your catalog and produce it entirely with photos in place. Don’t judge typefaces based on how they look on a blank, white sheet of paper. The overall design and look of your catalog page is what’s communicating with the customer.”