‘Clean’ Design: Lean, Mean Selling Machine or Buying Barrier?

PATIENT: "Doc, I hear there's a trend today toward "clean" design. Should I be using a clean design in my catalog? And what does clean design mean anyway?"

CATALOG DOCTOR: "‘Clean’ design typically means more negative space (aka white space), minimal copy, larger but fewer images per product, sans-serif type, often smaller point sizes and sometimes gray type instead of black. To see if clean is for you, let's look at where it works and where it doesn't."

Where Clean Works
Clean works well in noncatalog vehicles like print ads and billboards, where the goal is to grab attention and create emotional interest. Catalog environments have more requirements because they must sell directly. In catalogs, clean works best for products that people are buying primarily because they like the way they look (e.g., art).

Check out the image below for an example of clean design, as featured in a recent Talbots catalog. Here's the complete copy: STRETCH TWILL JACKET Cotton/spandex. Contrast-lined collar. Machine wash. The jacket is shown full page, on-model. The model is wearing a scarf and earrings which are line-listed. Although the jacket's features don't show very well in the photo, the overall impact is very attractive. Five colors are shown via small swatches with color names overprinted. Small point size, sans-serif type.

This strategy will deliver Talbots sales primarily from customers who are completely comfortable making a purchase based just on looks and price. Those who want a pocket count or to know more about the cut or the length won't buy. But if they're interested enough from the photo, they may go online to learn more (yes, there's more online) or to their local Talbots store. Those who are mildly interested won't bother to do either.

Where Clean Doesn't Work
Clean doesn't work well for feature-filled products that require a lot of explanation. An example is the Solutions catalog that's featured below. It's an attractive, orderly catalog, but it has lots of selling elements. Solutions iconic Miracle Cloth has four photos, a triple-deck headline, three photo captions, four callouts and 61 words of copy. This cover-all-the-bases selling technique is what typically gets great results for feature-filled products.