Creative Director/Lead Designer: Maddy Hague
Designer/Art Director: Katelyn McDonough
Lead Copywriter: Merritt Bamrick
Photographers: Kyle Johnson-MacPherson and Abe Holte
Stylist: Kirki Schultz 

PROJECT CREDITS

After the successes of the 2021 Holiday Catalog, my 2022 team faced a significant challenge: navigating a massive reduction in page count due to ongoing issues with press and paper availability plaguing the industry since COVID. Faced with about half the traditional real estate, my team strategically collapsed stories that would typically have their own dedicated spaces. This required a delicate balance between customer experience and the sensitive topic of total featured product count.

Collaborating closely with Brand Marketing and Merchandising partners, we ensured the achievement of key objectives despite the space reduction, garnering satisfaction from all parties involved. In the end, we not only navigated the hurdle but also preserved year-over-year revenue, delivering approximately $32M on a piece that could have potentially impacted corporate performance significantly if the space consolidation had affected it.

Between the 2021 and 2022 catalogs, the brand underwent an aesthetic refinement. Transitioning from a more youthful aesthetic with bolder colors and doodles, we embraced a more grown-up look grounded in rich neutrals, textures, and a minimal design approach. With the graphics package from the previous year unavailable, I challenged the team to inject visual interest through our art direction. This led to a design solution incorporating interesting crops off bleed, scale shifts, stylized silhouettes, and images breaking the frame, extending beyond it. Lighting took on a more natural and differentiated feel, making the spaces depicted more realistic.

We also amplified the editorial tone of the copy throughout. Despite the reduction in space, we strategically layered in moments that added surprise and delight for the reader. In the cards section, we delved into the trends driving the collection, merchandising spreads by style, and letting both art direction and copy be influenced by the trend. For the astute reader, we left Easter eggs woven into harder-hitting service or product copy. For example, on our calendars page: “Personalize with special dates or fun celebrations like National Cookie Day. (It’s December 4, by the way.)” This playful touch added a joyous and festive feel to the catalog, perfectly aligned with the season.

about the project