A catalog printing is supposed to look good so that people will actually want to read through it and look over the products that are listed in the pages. But although it is something to help you show off your design prowess or your graphic team expertise in graphic design, catalogs are first and foremost aimed to make a sale. In other words, catalogs are created to make money – lots of it!

So even with excellent and jaw-dropping design, it is not what can make that sale. Design alone just does not sell. As one expert marketer said, your design can sometimes even hurt sales. What you need to realize early on is that your catalog printing should be able to get orders. And what can get you the orders? The products and services you offer.

So while many of your target customers might be impressed with your glossy and professional design and layout, it still will not get you the profits you are aiming for. Your products and services are what actually get your target readers to contact you and purchase items from your list. Your design can only complement what you have for your products and services.

The next question now is how do you make your design get orders? One effective way is to use your design to call attention to your products. Always remember that your design is secondary to your offer. Rather than distract your target readers from what is important, use your design to emphasize and sell your products and services.

Always remember to put focus on your offer. Highlight them with borders for example; but make sure that the borders you use do not hog the limelight. Instead, extend your product photos over your borders to provide that 3D effect to your pictures.

And speaking of 3D effects, you might as well use drop shadows to create that pop-off-the-page effect for your photos. You can definitely add more drama and glamour to your product with this technique.

No matter what you do with your design, always remember that it is only as good as the products and services it carries. You will not sell anything if you confuse and distract your target readers from your product and services. Worse! You have confused them enough that they cannot even read your copy with all the design elements found in your catalog.

So if you want to throw color in there, go ahead. Just make sure that it complements the product you are offering. When all is said and done, the product or service is still king. So use your design to highlight to finally make that sale.