4ROOM
Catalogue

 

Estonia’s biggest lighting manufacturer 4ROOM required an update to their product catalogue design.

The previous catalogue had been a great step forward towards 4ROOM’s goals, yet observing how clients and also employees interact with the catalogue, many issues were apparent that needed facing.

Project length
3 months

 
 

Catalogue that showcases the company

Product catalogues are used by all interior product companies. These showcase the full product portfolio of a company while providing important technical details of the products.

While customers flip through the pages of the catalogue, it creates an impression of the company. The visual material communicates to them the values and the quality of the product; the product pages answer the customers technical queries about the product. Ideally, the catalogue helps customers to envision the products in their own space and guides them towards choosing the most fitting product for their particular interior.

Product catalogues are also often used by resellers. In these occasions, it is an especially important tool in communication as the selection of the products in the physical showroom may be small and it is impossible to fully control the layout of the showroom and showcasing of the physical products.

A catalogue is first and foremost a helpful tool in the selection of luminaires. The information it communicates needs to be clear and unambiguous.

 
 
 

Research phase

As the catalogue is not just a visual aid for sales, but rather a tool used by various actors, it was necessary to understand how different roles use the catalogue. Customers flip through the pages of the catalogue, looking for a suitable luminaire. When observing the sales personnel interact with the catalogue and the way they used it when talking to clients, the improvement opportunities became apparent. The catalogue is also in use at the manufacturing, where the product orders are double checked in order to prevent mistakes. The catalogue had flaws from the perspective of all users.

As almost all luminaire companies use product catalogues, I analysed the focus of these and how these tackle similar issues 4ROOM catalogue was facing.

Looking at related trends in the industry and understanding the development in how people buy products and what they expect from the companies was very important in the research phase. Long-term interior trends were relevant in planning the visual material of the new catalogue.

 
 

Reviewing the catalogue at hand

 
Featured
Catalogue architecture needed rethinking

I observed customers, but also sales representatives who worked with the catalogue on a daily basis, unable to find the products they were searching for with ease. The logic behind the order of the products was not intuitive. The product family names were not descriptive enough for the table of contents to be informative.

Product selection needed alteration

The product selection for the catalogue needed rethinking. Some product families did not form a clear whole and some products were competing with each other as the features were almost identical. When I was developing further understanding of the company’s manufacturing processes, it became apparent that the production of a few of the products were facing complications and therefore needed to be pulled from the portfolio for further product development.

Missed opportunity communicating brand values

4ROOM is a company that produces all its luminaires in one factory in Vääna, Estonia and its manufacturing history dates back to 50s when its predecessor Estoplast illuminated 1/6 of the world. Yet this was a missed opportunity in communications and marketing. The brand 4ROOM was not generally known as a local Estonian luminaire company and not generally recognised as the successor of Estoplast.

No uniform product page layout

Product description pages did not follow the same layout build, which made finding needed information more time consuming.

It was hard to imagine the products in a space

The visual material did not show the products in relatable interiors and clients had difficulty envisioning these in their own space. The luminaires on the photos were also not lit up - not showing the function.

Nondescript colour card

The colour and material palette of the products was not easy to envision when choosing the materials for the products as the palette was available as colour squares. A different approach was required.

In addition, the colour variants shown on product pages did not follow any certain logic and were adding to the confusion when choosing features of a product.

 
 

How the
catalogue changed

 
 
 
 

Visual table of contents

The product families are now arranged into a more harmonious product portfolio while a visual table of contents divides the products into product families and simultaneously into luminaire categories. A clear visual overview of the product range is available at the beginning of the catalogue that makes the wanted product easily found.

 
 
 

Recharged product line

After analysis of the product portfolio a few of the product families were pulled from the catalogue to await further product development. Thinner LED based luminaires were added to the collection and some product families were divided or merged to create a more cohesive family resemblance and overall product portfolio.

 
 
 
 

Showing pride in the local manufacturing

The pictures from the factory floor allow for stronger brand connection to be born bringing emphasis to the process of manufacturing. The origin of the products is now less abstract.

On the other side, the people bringing the luminaires to life, also feel stronger connection to the products and to the brand, boosting the morale. Although the company values the people, their commitment and know-how highly, in the Estonian manner, it’s been difficult to vocalise it.

 
 
 
 

Easily navigable product pages

A uniform template for the product descriptions pages was developed to allow easy wayfinding in the catalogue.

 
 
4ROOM for online portfolio 2018 Base mockup.jpg
4ROOM for online portfolio Egg 2018 mockup.jpg
 
4ROOM for online portfolio Artist 2018 mockup2.jpg

Luminaires in relatable interiors

The visual imagery holds a neutral Scandinavian style allowing the customers to imagine the luminaires in their own spaces. The photography sets the mood and aims to inspire, but the surroundings are minimal enough for the focus to be drawn onto the product.

 
 
4ROOM Base web small.jpg
 
 
 

Colour becomes easier to imagine on the product

The colour palette is now presented on actual photographed 4ROOM luminaires. It becomes easier to imagine how the colour and material play along with the light and shape of the fabric shades. Comparison of the colour, shine and other properties of the fabrics is easier. Colours and materials are grouped together based on shade material (and price group) and the characteristics of particular colour group are explained. In stores, where the products are displayed, material samples are available.

 
 
 

Conclusion

The project management, especially in creating the visual material of the catalogue was an intense, although rewarding experience. Planning of the entire catalogue on a tight schedule and budget was extremely challenging, chaotic, and fun.

Like always, there are many details of the solution that could be developed further still, but the catalogue was well received by all user groups. The sales staff point out the visual table of contents and say additionally, that the customers have related strongly to the visuals of the catalogue.