Product Catalog

Overview

Every year, Andersen Hitches distributes a product catalog to their dealer network showcasing a variety of their trailer hitches and towing accessories. In previous years, a product page in the catalog would include a feature image, available SKUs, and limited details without explanations of their more complex items. More information was available online, but dealers tended to refer to physical documentation to answer customer questions about products.

Objective

For the 2022 product catalog and brochures, I was tasked with applying new branding guidelines (i.e., colors, new product images), and including additional details to illustrate product functionality.

Process

As much as I wanted to dive into this project headfirst, I set my vision to accomplish 5 things: planning, designing, branding, writing, and editing.

• Planning: Prior to joining the marketing team, images for the catalog had been spread through the vast universe of their drives. Before getting into anything else, I scoured the 2019 catalog and the Andersen Hitches list of available products to find all the necessary content (JPGs, PNGs, logos, etc.).

• Branding: Applying this to the catalog helped establish a set of rules in the design, so I had more direction. Previous versions of the Catalog (2019 and older) contained several different fonts per page and inconsistent colors. While it was informational, lacking certain rules made reading the catalog more difficult. It lacked the ease of predictability when wanting to take in information.

• Designing: The heavy-duty lifting of the project—putting all the images, layouts, and copy together in Adobe InDesign.

• Writing: Adjusted the tone of voice from previous catalogs (bombastic and superlative) to match current brand voice (plainspoken and benefit-led). Referred to installation manuals and company Subject Matter Experts to verify technical product descriptions and explanations paired with infographics and product feature illustrations. Instructional guidance included the following:

  • Concept Explanation: The Sway Control page teaches how the product works by comparing it with what learners already know. It sets traditional spring-bar weight distribution against the Andersen system, using paired diagrams and arrows for force and movement. Along with the illustration, dealers could review a familiar mental model and then see the difference to build on their understanding of a new mechanism.

  • Short Procedures with Visual Sequences: The Camper Leveler and Rapid Jack pages use “Leveling in 3 steps” and “Tire changing in 3 steps,” with one icon and one short sentence per step. Procedures are kept to three steps, steps are numbered, and each is paired with an image.

  • Decision-tree Style Chart: The Weight Distribution Fitment Guide breaks a complex selection into four numbered steps (ball size, shank size, rack length, bracket size). It gives measurement instructions with A/B diagrams, if-then rules, and a QR code to verify online. The Ranch Hitch Compatibility section does the same, with a self-check measurement and a pass/fail range.

• Editing: When mass producing anything, there can never be enough editing. Several pairs of eyes looked through the pages, including two marketing team members, the Vice President, and the President of the company. Several edits came from me during the drafting process—checking for correct images, corresponding part numbers/SKU numbers, accurate product specs, spelling, grammar, layout design, linked files, and working QR codes.

Final Product