Creating a catalogue

Creating a catalogue is a bit like having a baby, and takes about as long from conception to birth. Only I have one every three months. Buying the products starts about nine months before, as that is how long some suppliers want you to order in advance. Of course, no one knows for sure what the world will be like in 9 months time, especially these days, so there is a great deal of finger in the air guesswork especially about new ranges or products. Samples have to arrive in time for the photoshoot about two months before the birth. Nothing can be left out, and a shoot schedule has to be devised. Models and photographer are chosen, and travel arrangements made, like a trip to Egypt, for seven people. That's quite a job in itself. Everyone thinks you are off on holiday, but there is a lot of responsibility in producing images which sell clothes off the page. No catalogue, no business. The photoshoot goes well, and with digital photography one can see the results as one goes along. It is fun too and perfect sunny weather, but I don't quite like to say how much fun back in the office, where it has been freezing solidly.
In his studio, Andy the photographer reduces the total images to a few of the best choices and gives them to me on a disc. I make the final choice and then I lay out the products within an overall 64-68 pages to get the right balance, and a logical flow. This time we have separated the men's products and put them at the back, so they know where to find them.
I write the copy, and sit down with Dave the designer and his Applemac to put the pages together. Then others say what is wrong with them, and can they get some extra last minute stuff in? More proofs. Three weeks later everyone is happy. It is clearly the best catalogue ever. The artwork is sent to the printer, nowadays over the internet, and I go down to the Midlands a week later to see the job on the press, as it can all be wrecked at that stage if the colours don't come out right. It is exciting to see the huge thundering press, as long as several buses, churning out your baby at around 30,000 copies an hour.
After I have gone home with a few handcut copies to show around the office, the catalogue is trimmed, bound, packed onto pallets, and sent by lorry to the mailing house in Peterlee, Co Durham. Almost a week later still, they print the names and addresses on each catalogue, polywrap it, and sort it into mailing bags which are collected by TNT and delivered directly to a local post office, from where two days later the postie drops it through your box. The cost of the postage is more than the cost of a 68 page full colour A5 catalogue. (It is a scandal that it should be cheaper to send the mailing by TNT when the Royal Mail postman actually delivers it, but that is another blog).
After that, we wait for the first orders with bated breath. After a week or so we can see if we are doing better or worse that we thought. So far things have gone better than planned, but already I'm planning the next shoot - and can see where things might be done just a little bit better after all.