J&J / Invision, Tri-fold Brochure

How do you make Floor Glue exciting? As a Graphic Designer you have to take mundane subjects and make them interesting to look at. These products are from a major commercial carpet manufacturer, are intended for use installing carpet and carpet tiles. This of course makes them items not to be overlooked, but when you're choosing carpet designs you're looking at carpet. Glue isn't what you really...well...

On this one the customer already knew they were producing a tri-fold brochure, and already had good photography; they were just looking for a good design to showcase it.

So what to do with that?

First I took my cue from the product packaging in the photos. The glossy black plastic of the buckets contrasted nicely with the broad, colored labels. It was simple and compelling. Why not drop them silhouetted onto a rich black background? That might have done very well left alone, but I felt a need to "frame" the design with something at the top and bottom. Like baseboard and crown in a room, I placed simple line borders and chose a color that would closely compliment the labels in the shots.

Looking at the proofs, someone said, "Why don't you put a gloss varnish on the silos and a matte varnish on the black background?" I only wish that could show on the screen; such a simple change, but it really makes the product pop. Well, I also wish I'd thought of it first, but at least I had the sense to agree.

Of course, depending on the printer, the client might have to pay extra for two runs of varnish on top of the four color process. In this case the printer ran a six color press anyway, and the client was a major customer of the printer, so it didn't add much at press (though it did take extra preparation in pre-press).

What mundane products do you need brought to life?


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