EL

CASE STUDY

Designing a Catalog That Sells

SAUDER EDUCATION CATALOG

Transforming hundreds of products into a clear, engaging buying experience.

ROLE

Lead Graphic Designer

RESPONSIBILITIES

Art Direction
Editorial Design
Layout
Typography
Image Editing

Print Production
Vendor Management
Copy Writing
AI Generation

Overview

Sauder Education’s annual catalog is one of the company’s most important sales tools, showcasing hundreds of education furniture products for higher education learning environments.

Each year, I lead the design and production of the catalog from concept through press, balancing marketing goals, product accuracy, and usability while creating a polished publication that supports both our sales team and our customers.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

80 page full color publication
Hundreds of products organized in a cohesive system
Designed from concept through print production
Managed image editing and page layouts
Collaborated with marketing, product management, and print vendors

The Challenge

THE CATALOG NEEDED TO:

Organize hundreds of products into an intuitive experience for customers.
Maintain a consistent visual brand across 80 pages.
Support multiple product collections and their unique features.
Balance product photography with inspiring environment images.
Meet strict production deadlines for print and digital release.

Image Editing

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDED:

Selecting Photography
Color Correction
Background Cleanup
Image Compositing
Creating AI-generated imagery when photography wasn’t available
Preparing print-ready assets

Before: An older rendering of a conference room that didn’t reflect the human services market. After: A new image created in Adobe FireFly, repurposing the same table and chairs in a setting tailored for human services.

Building Each Spread

EACH SPREAD HAD TO COMMUNICATE:

Clear visual hierarchy
Easy product comparison
Readability
Strong use of white space
Consistent branding

Preparing for Print

BEYOND DESIGN:

Proofreading
Writing and editing copy
Creating a simple finish chart
Coordinating printer quotes
Preparing print ready files
Working with vendors through final production

Results

The finished catalog serves as the company’s primary sales and marketing piece for the year, supporting dealers, sales representatives, and customers with a comprehensive product resource. The project demonstrates my ability to manage a large-scale print publication while balancing creating direction, technical production, and cross-functional collaboration.