ABOUT

Trade Catalogue Design | Art Direction & Layout System

As a designer at SPS EU Ltd, one of the UK’s leading trade-only suppliers of promotional merchandise across the UK and Europe, I was tasked with the redesign of the company’s flagship promotional catalogue, a core sales tool distributed to thousands of resellers and distributors.

When I joined, the existing layout was visually overwhelming, with inconsistent styles, multiple clashing fonts, and a lack of structural clarity. My goal was to transform it into a cleaner, more contemporary piece that elevated product perception and enhanced user navigation.

Creative Direction:
I introduced a streamlined layout system anchored by a clear font hierarchy and the use of just one accent font to reduce visual noise. The catalogue was structured into colour-coded sections, making it easy for readers to locate product categories at a glance.

Each section began with lifestyle-led photography spreads, replacing the previous collage approach. This gave the products context, personality, and relevance, helping resellers and clients imagine them in real-world settings.

Key Contributions:
• Full layout redesign for improved structure and legibility
• Section colour-coding for intuitive navigation
• Art direction for new product photography, with a focus on natural, lifestyle scenes
• Cover concept featuring playful, illustrative visuals (inspired by sweets and street signs) to highlight SPS’s product range
• Typography overhaul, using a restrained type palette to reduce reader fatigue
• Mentoring junior designers through the rollout of the catalogue’s new design system

I also led the photography art direction, including appearing in a few shoots myself, and guided the junior team through the production phase, offering tailored feedback and mentorship to ensure design consistency while developing their individual skill sets.

This project reflects not only a transformation in visual identity but also a shift in how SPS communicates its product offering: clearly, confidently, and creatively.