How to Design a Product Catalogue

How to Design a Product Catalogue

What You'll Be Creating

Printing a beautifully laid-out product catalogue can help you attract customers and drive up sales. Catalogues contain important information about products that can help people make better purchases. 

In this Adobe InDesign product catalogue tutorial, you'll learn how to design an attractive product catalogue, what pages to consider creating for a catalogue design, and the best print design practices when you're creating a product catalogue template. The result of this tutorial will be a product design catalogue that contains multiple master pages templates to easily incorporate your images. 

Looking for more product catalogue examples or InDesign product catalogue templates? Envato Elements offers a wide range of catalogue designs and millions of assets like photography and fonts for you to use with a single subscription. 

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Tips for Catalogue Design Templates

Designing a product catalogue template can get complicated if it's your first time. There are tips and tricks that can save you time and that will allow you to edit your product catalogue template easily and fast. Here are a few things to consider when you create a product catalogue:

1. Set up Master Pages: these pages are non-printing pages that you can use as templates to make your product catalogue design. You can design several of these templates and mix and match your final publication.
2. Edit your images to look the same: make sure all of the images on your catalogue have the same editing style to create a cohesive look.
3. Apply standard page numbers: use Master Pages to set up automatic page numbers that can change as you add extra pages to your design.
4. If printed, make the number of pages divisible by four: publications can only be printed if the final page count is divisible by four. That's because there are four pages in a spread.
5. Set up Bleeds: if you're planning on printing a product catalogue template with images that extend to the edge of the page, make sure the images touch the bleeds to avoid undesired white edges. 
6. Use guides to organize products: use columns and guides as grids to organize product images on the page and ensure that they're evenly spaced. 

Product Catalogue Template

What Pages Should Your Product Catalogue Template Include?

There are certain pages to consider when you make a product catalogue template. These pages can help you organize your content effectively and convey a clear idea. The following pages are standard in every product catalogue template because they have proven to be successful at displaying products in a cohesive manner. Let's take a look:

• Cover and back cover: like any publication, make sure you include a cover that fits the content inside the template design.
• Table of Contents: if you're working with many different products, consider dividing the content into sections so it's easier for readers to find products. 
• Product pages: lay out different product pages. For instance, set up pages that show a different number of products so the catalogue doesn't seem monotone and repetitive.
• Content pages: while a product catalogue's main purpose is to showcase products, content pages are useful to give details of the brand or even inspiration for seasonal products or services.
• Dividers: these pages are to separate different sections on a catalogue. These also provide a nice clean break for readers to reset their attention.

Catalogue/Lookbook Template

What You'll Need to Create Your Product Catalogue Template

To make a product catalogue template, you'll need access to Adobe InDesign and some fonts and images. The fonts we'll be using are:

• Magdelin
• Volgue

You may want to use your own images, but if you'd like to use the free images shown in this product catalogue template, the links are listed below:

• Free Fashionable Photo
• Smile
• Urban Portrait Model
• Cozy Winter
• BF
• Outdoors Portrait Redhead Girl
• Fashionista
• Free Autumn Photo
• Feel the Summer Moment
• Free City Photo
• Tú y Ese Imaginario Colectivo
• Street Fashion Photography Shot by Me in Atlanta
• Western Style
• Impulse
• Black Beauties
• Personal Jewelry

Download the fonts and images and make sure the fonts are installed before you start the tutorial. 

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1. How to Set Up a Product Catalogue Template

Step 1

To create a product catalogue template, open InDesign and go to File > New > Document.

Choose Print from the options at the top of the window. Select the A4 preset from the options below. Check Facing Pages as we'll be creating a publication. 

Set the Number of Columns to 3 and the Column Gutter to 0.5 cm. Set the Top margin to 2 cm and the Bottom, Inside and Outside to 1.5 cm. Set the Bleed to 0.3 cm. Click Create. 

Step 2

Go to the Pages panel and select the A-Master by double-clicking on the spread.

Go to Layout > Create Guides. In the Create Guides window, set the Rows to 5 and the Gutter to 0.5 cm. Below, select Fit Guides to Margins. Click OK. 

Step 3

Go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers).

Double-click on Layer 1 and rename it Background. Click on the Add New Layer button to add a new layer, and name it Images. Create two more new layers, naming them Overlay and Copy. 

Step 4

Go to the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches). Click on the dropdown menu and select New Color Swatch. Set the Color Type to Process and Color Mode to CMYK. 

Add the following values:

• Yellow: C=4 M=20 Y=48 K=0

Repeat the New Color Swatch step to add the following swatches:

• Grey: C=4 M=3 Y=4 K=0
• Turquoise: C=49 M=4 Y=28 K=0
• Pink: C=0 M=15 Y=13 K=0
• Salmon: C=9 M=50 Y=55 K=0

Step 5

Go to the Pages panel (Window > Pages). Double-click on A-Master to set up the template. 

Using the Text Tool, create a text box that has the following measurements:

• Width: 6.65 cm
• Height: 0.606 cm 

Place the text box just above the top margin and align the x-axis with the right-hand bleed. Go to the Swatches panel and set the fill color to Turquoise. Add a page number by double-clicking on the text box, right-clicking, and going to Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number. 

Select the content and go to the Control panel. Set the Font to Magdelin SemiBold, the Size to 8 pt, and the Tracking to 50.

Select the text box and press Command-B to open the Text Frame Options. Set the Inset Spacing to:

• Top, Bottom and Right: 2 cm
• Left: 1.7 cm

Step 6

Press Option and drag the text frame we created in the step above. Place it on the opposite page. In the Control panel, set the alignment to Right. 

Press Command-B to open the Text Frame Options and set the Inset Spacing to:

• Top, Bottom, and Left: 2 cm
• Right: 1.7 cm

2. How to Create Master Pages for a Product Catalogue Template

Step 1

We'll create five different Master Page spreads that will help us add pages with preset layouts to the product catalogue design. We'll be creating one index spread, two content spreads, and two product spreads.

In the Pages panel, right-click on A-Master and select New Master. In the New Master option window, set the Prefix to B, the Name to Index, and Based on Master to A-Master. Click OK.

Step 2

For the B-Index Master Page, we'll create an image-based table of contents. 

In the Layers panel, select the Image layer. 

From the Tools panel, select the Frame Tool (F). Using the guides and columns we created at the beginning of the project, create frames that fit between one and three columns, and the same for the rows. 

I added a fill color from the Swatches panel so that I could see where the frames are placed. 

Step 3

Select all of the frames and press Command-C to Copy. In the Layers panel, lock the Image layer and select the Overlay layer. Press Shift-Option-Command-V to Paste in Place.

Select all the frames, go to the Swatches panel, and select the Turquoise swatch. In the Effects panel (Window > Effects), set the Opacity to 60%.

Step 4

Lock the Overlay layer in the Layers panel and select the Copy layer.

Using the Text Tool, create text frames for each image frame. 

Add a page number and some section content. On the Control panel, set the text to the following:

• Page number: Font to Magdelin ExtraBold, Size to 60 pt.
• Section: Font to Magdelin Black, Size to 16 pt. 

Open the Text Frame Option Window by selecting the frame and pressing Command-B. Set the Inset Spacing to 0.5 cm for all sides. 

Step 5

In the Pages panel, right-click on A-Master and select New Master.

In the New Master option window, set the Prefix to C, the Name to Content-1, and Based on Master to A-Master. Click OK.

Step 6

In the Layers panel, unlock all the layers. Select the Background layer.

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a rectangle to act as an element on the background of the left-hand page. I placed mine on the bottom left. Make sure that the rectangle is touching the bleeds on the left and bottom sides. Use the Swatches panel to set the fill color. In my case, I used the Salmon color. 

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), add a background to the right-hand page. Use the Swatches panel to set the color to Grey. 

Step 7

Lock the Background layer in the Layers panel. Select the Image layer. Using the Frame Tool (F), create a frame that fits inside the margin of the left-hand page. 

Step 8

Lock the Image layer in the Layers panel, and select the Copy layer. In the Swatches panel, set the color to Black. 

Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame that fits the first two columns on the left-hand page. Here you can add product details and sections.

In the Control panel, set the text to:

• Product Catalogue: Font to Magdelin Bold, Size to 12 pt. 
• Section Number: Font to Magdelin Bold, Size to 18 pt. 

Select the text frame and press Command-B to open the Text Frame Options Window. Set the Inset Spacing to 0.5 cm on all sides. 

Using the Text Tool, create two text frames: one for the title and another one for the content. Place the frames in the center of the page.

Select the Line Tool (\) from the Tools panel and draw a vertical line between the top and bottom text frame. Set the Thickness to 0.5 pt. 

Go to the Swatches panel, and set the color of the text frame to White.

In the Control panel, use the following settings:

• Headline: Font to Volgue Bold, Size to 24 pt. 
• Subhead: Font to Volgue Regular, Size to 14 pt.
• Body Copy: Font to Magdelin Text, Size to 9 pt, Tracking to 50. 

In the Paragraph Formatting Controls, set the Space Before to 0.5 cm.

Step 9

In the Pages panel, right-click on A-Master and select New Master. In the New Master option window, set the Prefix to C, the Name to Content-2, and Based on Master to A-Master. 

Click OK.

Step 10

In the Layers panel, unlock the Image layer and select it. 

Using the Frame Tool (F), create two frames. The first one should start from the first column of the left page and end on the first column of the right page. The second frame should occupy the last two columns and the first two rows of the right page.

Step 11

Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame at the bottom of the left page. In the Control panel, set the Font to Volgue Bold, Size to 24 pt, and Text Alignment to Align Center. Set the Vertical Justification to Align Center.

Step 12

Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame on the last two columns of the right page and under the second text frame you created above. 

In the Control panel, set the Font to Magdelin Text, Size to 9 pt, and Tracking to 50.

In the Paragraph Formatting Controls, set the Space Before to 0.5 cm, Drop Cap Number of Lines to 3, and Drop Cap Characters to 1. 

Step 13

In the Pages panel, right-click on A-Master and select New Master. In the New Master option window, set the Prefix to D, the Name to Products-1, and Based on Master to A-Master. Click OK.

In the Layers panel, select the Background layer. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create rectangles to act as part of the background and add dimension to the page. Use the Swatches panel to add a Fill Color. 

Step 14

In the Layers panel, lock the Background layer and select the Image layer. 

Using the Frame Tool (F), create an image frame with a Width of 8.7 cm and a Height of 10.18 cm. Place the frame at the left margin of the left-hand page and set the Y-axis to 4.7 cm. 

Step 15

In the Layers panel, select the Copy layer. 

Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame on the left side, under the image frame created on the step above. Here, you can information like the product number and name. In the Control panel, set the Font to Magdelin SemiBold, Size to 8 pt, and Tracking to 50. 

Create another text frame on the right side, under the image frame. Here, we can add a price. In the Control panel, set the Font to Magdelin SemiBold, Size to 14 pt, and Tracking to 50. 

Step 16

Select the image and text frames, and duplicate them by pressing Option and dragging the elements. Fit four on a single page, and repeat this step for the opposite page. 

Step 17

In the Pages panel, right-click on A-Master and select New Master. In the New Master option window, set the Prefix to D, the Name to Products-2, and Based on Master to A-Master. Click OK.

In the Layers panel, select the Background layer. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create rectangles to act as part of the background and add dimension to the page. Use the Swatches panel to add a Fill Color. 

Step 18

In the Layers panel, lock the Background layer and select the Image layer. 

Using the Frame Tool (F), create an image frame that fits the width of the column guides and has a Height of 10.18 cm. Place the frame in the first column of the left page and set the Y-axis to 4.7 cm. 

Duplicate the frame by pressing Command and dragging. Place six frames on the top row and six on the bottom row. 

Step 19

In the Layers panel, select the Copy layer. 

Using the Text Tool (T), create a text frame on the left side, under the image frame created in the step above. Here, you can information like the product number and name. In the Control panel, set the Font to Magdelin SemiBold, Size to 8 pt, and Tracking to 50. 

Create another text frame on the right side, under the image frame. Here, we can add a price. In the Control panel, set the Font to Magdelin SemiBold, Size to 14 pt, and Tracking to 50. 

Duplicate these two frames by pressing Command and dragging. Place the duplicates under each image frame.

3. How to Edit Your Product Catalogue Template

Step 1

In the Layers panel, double-click on the regular pages of your product catalogue. We'll create a cover.

In the Layers panel, select the Background layer. Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create rectangles to act as part of the background and add dimension to the page. Use the Swatches panel to add a Fill Color. 

Using the Frame Tool (F), create a rectangle within the margins of the cover. Click on the image frame and press Command-D to place an image. Locate the Smile image and click Open. 

In the Layers panel, select the Copy layer. Using the Text Tool, create a text frame over the image. Here you can add the season of your product catalogue template, title, and company name. In the Control panel, use the following settings:

• Season: Font to Magdelin SemiBold, Size to 12 pt, Tracking to 200
• Title: Font to Volgue Bold, Size to 26 pt
• Company: Font to SemiBold, Size to 12 pt, Tracking to 200

Step 2

For the rest of the product catalogue template, you can add any of the Master Pages. Drag the desired Master Page to add pages to your catalogue. In my case, I added one B-Index page and a C-Content-1 Page for the spreads after the cover.

Unlock the elements by pressing Shift-Command and selecting an element or multiple elements. You can drag and drop images into the image frames and edit the text.

Step 3

For the product spread of the catalogue, I used one page from each of the D-Products Master Pages so they aren't exactly mirrored. 

Unlock the elements by pressing Shift-Command and selecting an element or multiple elements. Drag and drop images into the frames and edit the text as you wish. 

Remember, you can always move a few elements to make the spreads unique, and you can mix and match the Master Pages in your product catalogue template. 

4. How to Export Your Product Catalogue Template

Step 1

Go to File > Export. Set the Format to Adobe PDF (Print). Click Save.

Step 2

In the pop-up window, set the Adobe PDF Preset option to Press Quality. 

Select the Marks and Bleeds option from the left side menu. Check All Printer's Mark and Use Document Bleed Settings. Click Export.

Conclusion: Your Finished Product Catalogue Template

Your product catalogue template design is finished! Save the document as an InDesign file so you can use it again as a template and customize it with every new project. You can mix and match the Master Pages, and you'll have a different product catalogue design every single time! 

In this tutorial, you have learned how to design a product catalogue template. We looked into how to set up Master Pages to have pre-designed layouts that you can mix and match. You learned some important pages to create for a product catalogue design and the best print practices to take into consideration to make sure your catalogue is in tip-top shape. 

Looking for product catalogue examples and customizable catalogue designs? Envato Elements offers thousands of InDesign editable templates that can save you tons of time. 

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