34 replies to this topic

[Bamboo David]

After many hours brainstorming what the heck our promotional catalog should look like... I finally decided on a simple 2 page (4 side) layout and to make the cover a little fun... I drew up some wacky ideas and ended up with the beach cover ALSO at the bottom is a more "normal" cover...

Which cover do you guys like better? TOP or BOTTOM?

Anywho... final touchs are going to be made shortly but just wanted to see if you guys could spot anything before I send this to the printer... (yes i know there are no prices in there!)

Enjoy! :)

[jimknecht]

Bottom (normal) one.

[Bamboo David]

jimknecht said:

Bottom (normal) one.

Thanks for the input! yea.. the top is a bit "out there"

[jimknecht]

Yes, but I bet Isa likes the top one. She is most certainly "out there". :)

[BryZ]

I'm for the second one as well- it just seems much more "bamboo"... no mistaking what your products are all about with that one!

[Bamboo David]

BryZ said:

I'm for the second one as well- it just seems much more "bamboo"... no mistaking what your products are all about with that one!

I agree, its a bit busy. We are going to take a step back and resize the first picture and make it a small lifestyle shot and use the same background as the rest of the catalog. I'll show you when i'm done.

Appreciate the input!

For anyone who contributes come by the booth for a free gift! :D

[royster13]

I like the bottom one but not a big fan of the "big" size of the industry logos.....4pt text only would work for me.....Our client do not care what organizations we belong too...

[Bamboo David]

royster13 said:

I like the bottom one but not a big fan of the "big" size of the industry logos.....4pt text only would work for me.....Our client do not care what organizations we belong too...

Thanks and noted! We actually decided to remove the logos from the front and only have them on the back bottom of the page.

Again, I really appreciate the help. I know you guys can spot things that a newbie like me will miss. I'm sure everyones had their annoyances like "why is this in here?!" or "why did they put that there?!" so all comments are welcome.

Your input is invaluable to me. Thanks again.

Cheers,

Edited by Bamboo David, 11 December 2009 - 02:19 PM.

[3Koi Maui]

(sigh) Pay no attention to the weirdo from Mississippi...

Hey, my fishie logo is sideways... should be nose up, tail to the left.

Nice job David.

On the pricing grid, center the titles, and in the data, center the item numbers and decimal align the prices themselves.

For the item #/name next to the images, if they are on the left of the image, right-align the edges (of the item# over the item name). If they are on the right side of the image, left-align the edges.

Still in the pricing grid, you can take out the column that has the (P) over it. If all of them are on a P, you can make that some small text below the grid, such as "4P" to show all 4 columns are on a P.

I like that the products sometimes overlap the border.

[Chris Miller]

I like the bottom but I think ALL pictured products should be shown with a logo on them. Just my $0.02 ;)

[FindingPromo]

David,

While Royce had a great comment on side of industry identifiers, and Isa, well Isa always has good input . . . Chris's "logo all product" post got me thinking . .

How are these decorated? imprint? FDA safe inks? are they etched?

Some of my questions may have already been addressed and/or planned to be added.

What is the imprint / etching area available on each item? What about the location options for the decoration?

Anyway make sure that you look through the standard items that many suppliers place in the "small print" somewhere.

Are many of these items going to be addressed on DC, SAGE, ASI or you own web site? Are you going to have a separate website dedicated for Promotional Markets? Will it be a link from your retail site?

Maybe all the fine folks on this board can give you lots of best practices that you should try to incorporate so you have more of your T's crossed etc. and the tools that you offer up to the resellers have lots of the questions that they try to answer and provide for their end users.

Good Luck!

[Bamboo David]

Since you posted quite a few questions i'll answer in red Below

FindingPromo said:

David,

While Royce had a great comment on side of industry identifiers, and Isa, well Isa always has good input . . . Chris's "logo all product" post got me thinking . .

How are these decorated? imprint? FDA safe inks? are they etched?
The boards are lasered so there is no issue with being food safe or other contaminants. The laser has the ability to cut deep into the bamboo but generally for our products it is generally .01cm at most.

Some of my questions may have already been addressed and/or planned to be added.

What is the imprint / etching area available on each item? What about the location options for the decoration?
Generally we suggest between 2"x2" but it can be up to almost the edge of the board if you want.

Anyway make sure that you look through the standard items that many suppliers place in the "small print" somewhere.
We are putting a"General Information" section in the back which will go over laser costs, turn time, drop ship, setup charges, ect. I have looked at a few other catalogs that suppliers have sent me and we covered most of the good stuff. All prices will be coded.

Are many of these items going to be addressed on DC, SAGE, ASI or you own web site? Are you going to have a separate website dedicated for Promotional Markets? Will it be a link from your retail site?
We are not part of DC yet. Items will be on Sage and ASI. We have bought www.totallybamboopromo.com which will be our next project. So far we have only engraved for distributors and have not sold direct to end users. I am liking the idea of only using distributors for this market as things get messy fast and distributors usually can give me the whole package (eps, in-hands,order,ect) upfront so things go smoothly.

Maybe all the fine folks on this board can give you lots of best practices that you should try to incorporate so you have more of your T's crossed etc. and the tools that you offer up to the resellers have lots of the questions that they try to answer and provide for their end users.

Good Luck!

Thanks :)

Edited by Bamboo David, 11 December 2009 - 05:27 PM.

[Bamboo David]

Chris Miller said:

I like the bottom but I think ALL pictured products should be shown with a logo on them. Just my $0.02 ;)

I agree, there are only a handful that dont have a logo in the above picture. They will be logo'd in the actual catalog. Thanks!

Edited by Bamboo David, 11 December 2009 - 05:28 PM.

[Bamboo David]

3Koi Maui said:

(sigh) Pay no attention to the weirdo from Mississippi...

Hey, my fishie logo is sideways... should be nose up, tail to the left.

Nice job David.

On the pricing grid, center the titles, and in the data, center the item numbers and decimal align the prices themselves.

For the item #/name next to the images, if they are on the left of the image, right-align the edges (of the item# over the item name). If they are on the right side of the image, left-align the edges.

Still in the pricing grid, you can take out the column that has the (P) over it. If all of them are on a P, you can make that some small text below the grid, such as "4P" to show all 4 columns are on a P.

I like that the products sometimes overlap the border.

Great input thanks!

oops i'll change the direction of the fish.

[twistededge]

I would change the "new promotional opportunities" to something else. Maybe like, "Classic Bamboo Products now featuring custom laser engraving". Somewhere you should put a starburst or whatever saying that's what the decoration method is and that the boards are made out of bamboo. I know that should be obvious, but you'd be surprised!

I wouldn't mind seeing a little more info about the product, what it's made of, is there a coating? The pros of bamboo, that it's ecofriendly etc...it gives me more selling points, as it were - things to remember when I go to sell this type of item vs another regular kitchen/decorative product.

Do you charge a set up? If not, say that and not just in the fine print.

Also, I'm in the camp that likes a client safe website on a catalog, I know others are against it. Saves me from having to guess or Google.

Those products on the front are not actually in the catalog. I'd put products in the catalog on the front. :)

[Bamboo David]

twistededge said:

I would change the "new promotional opportunities" to something else. Maybe like, "Classic Bamboo Products now featuring custom laser engraving". Somewhere you should put a starburst or whatever saying that's what the decoration method is and that the boards are made out of bamboo. I know that should be obvious, but you'd be surprised!
Great suggestion, we had changed it a bit but i think your right in adding "Bamboo" and "laser engraving" would end all guessing as to whats on the next page.

I wouldn't mind seeing a little more info about the product, what it's made of, is there a coating? The pros of bamboo, that it's ecofriendly etc...it gives me more selling points, as it were - things to remember when I go to sell this type of item vs another regular kitchen/decorative product.
Great idea... its amazing how listing sell points and getting them right infront of the customer, no matter how obvious or not they are, help in generating interest and closing a sale.

Do you charge a set up? If not, say that and not just in the fine print.
I do charge a setup and its going to be in the fine print but for you i'll wave the setup! ;)

Also, I'm in the camp that likes a client safe website on a catalog, I know others are against it. Saves me from having to guess or Google.
Yes thats a good point... i'll add that... although it will say "under maintainance for a little while longer :rolleyes:... yes its on the to-do list next

Those products on the front are not actually in the catalog. I'd put products in the catalog on the front. :)
Yes those were just markers in place of actual items. We actually ditched both of those covers and are going with a much more simple cover which follows closely to the rest of the pages.

Thanks for all the tips!

[Bamboo David]

DONE! what do you guys think!? comments appreciated!

[3Koi Maui]

Nice look!

Opportunities is spelled incorrectly.

I would proof the rest, but too small to read. Email it to me if you want another pair of eyes...

[rjswave]

Do you Bamboo?

[Bamboo David]

3Koi Maui said:

Nice look!

Opportunities is spelled incorrectly.

I would proof the rest, but too small to read. Email it to me if you want another pair of eyes...

OOPS! thanks for catching that! i'll send you a better PDF on Monday!