Technical Expertise and Creative Design for Successful Catalog Solutions

Automated catalog creation is one of the most complex tasks in modern product presentation. It requires a precise combination of technical expertise, analytical understanding and creative design. By combining these valuable skills, Agentur mp² creates customized, elegant solutions for print products and functional PDFs.

The importance of automation and data structure

Automated catalogs are more than just databases in book form. They thrive on a well-thought-out structure of product data, which must be both machine-processable and intuitively comprehensible to the target group. This is especially true in the case of complex product portfolios, such as in medical or electrical engineering, where highly complex technical and design requirements come together.

This is where Agentur mp² comes in: As a creative agency, it not only designs appealing layouts, but it also develops solutions that combine the logic of the data and the aesthetics of the presentation. This being said, the task begins even before the data enters the priint:suite: Agentur mp² analyzes the structure, formulates customization suggestions and develops a visual set of rules that adapts perfectly to the data logic. The fundamental questions here are: What information is crucial to the purchase decision? And how can this be prioritized and presented intuitively?

Aesculap: A case study where technical precision meets design brilliance

A vivid example of the work of Agentur mp² is the project for Aesculap, a leading provider of surgical instruments. A particular challenge of this project was the presentation of an extensive and optically and functionally heterogeneous product range.

Since the product selection, especially of surgical scissors, whose different tips are of central importance for surgeons, is largely done visually, the synthesis between space-optimized product placement and optimal comprehensibility of the differences was crucial. The solution: The images were aligned at the upper end, the focus was directed to the scissor tips and the products were grouped according to product features. Additionally, common features were listed and different features were organized in a table according to the respective order number.

Old catalog page, manually set and inflexible in its page spread

Pages set automatically

In addition to the design adjustments, the project team had to develop data filters on the PIM side and placement rules in the templates. This project is a prime example of how important it is to closely integrate technology and design. Every design decision must take into account the technical realities – and vice versa.

Design as a bridge between data and user

The visual presentation of data is crucial to turning an automated catalog into a functional communication tool. The task for the creative agency is to develop a graphical set of rules that combines technical requirements with the needs of the users and adheres to the following principles:

• Clear hierarchy: Important information is in the foreground, while technical details are placed discreetly
• Consistency: Uniform layouts, colors and fonts create orientation and facilitate navigation
• Flexibility: The design must be scalable Logic of the PIM system: Design decisions must harmonize with the possibilities and limitations of the PIM

Ingun: A case study of the possibilities of rule-based automation

The fact that the path to an automated catalog involves much more than simply entering data into a predefined layout is also demonstrated by the case of Ingun, a specialist in contacting solutions in the field of test and inspection technology.

The Ingun catalog contains an impressive variety of product variants that are difficult to categorize due to their different characteristics. The solution: A design that clearly highlights the most important features and avoids redundancies. The combination of visual hierarchy and structural clarity leads to a result that remains clear despite the wealth of information and guides the user in a targeted manner.

User guidance via article characteristics: The order number is “created” while reading

The essence of the design requirements: The order number as the ultimate challenge

The order number proved to be the supreme discipline of catalog design. In the case of Ingun, it is derived from a combination of various product features and is generated by the customer themselves.

The new catalog design simplifies this process considerably: Clear visual structures guide the eye and facilitate intuitive navigation. This results in a compelling ordering experience for the user, where all relevant features are easily accessible and the order number is logically derived.