Successful together. With this motto in mind, GRASS approached infolox GmbH to give the trade catalogue of the premium brand for movement systems a representative look. In the pitch for the redesign and creation of the GRASS catalogue, the catalogue experts at infolox prevailed.
Change creates advantages
The sheer volume of catalogues on offer, with ever-changing products, and daily competition with other catalogues and publications for users' attention.
Keeping track of everything is almost impossible, and not just for consumers. It is often difficult even for employees to keep track of the large product range and the individual sections of the catalogue. If there are also separate sub-catalogues for individual product groups, chaos is inevitable. The direct logical consequences are incorrect orders, time-consuming standard telephone enquiries from customers and, ultimately, lower sales.
The solution is a catalogue as an efficient marketing tool that can be given to trading partners and customers as a support instrument that represents the brand and is understood by the user. Standing out from the crowd, being clearly recognised and preferred was also the concern with which GRASS, the developer of complex movement systems, approached infolox GmbH.
GRASS – Movement Systems
The German-Austrian company has developed into a globally renowned brand and is part of the WÜRTH Group. It has won multiple red dot awards and continues to grow steadily.
For more than sixty years, GRASS has been one of the leading international manufacturers of furniture fittings and processing machines. Guide and hinge systems from GRASS move the furniture of well-known, industrially manufactured premium brands and those of high-quality craftsmanship. GRASS follows the vision of "enabling manufacturers to make their high-quality furniture even more design-oriented, ergonomic, functional and comfortable, while at the same time producing it even more efficiently."
GRASS sees itself as a modern premium brand committed to perfection, dynamism and efficiency.
Motivation, courage and the will to create a clear design language, as well as the development of the GRASS world with all its consequences for the internal and external corporate presence, made a rethink of corporate communication absolutely necessary.
The ideal partner for implementation
When redesigning its product catalogue, every company faces the decision of choosing the right implementation partner. If the aim is not only to redesign the catalogue but also to optimise the catalogue creation process, this decision becomes even more important.
An external company provides an unbiased perspective and brings new ideas to the table.
The main reason for the redesign was the large number of individual media. The primary goal was to merge the sub-catalogues into a single comprehensive work with cross-catalog navigation. Increased attention was paid to optimising the overall catalogue in terms of user-friendliness, creation and translation processes.
The aim was to create a comprehensive product manual, a tool that would bring together and organise the product range in a consistent manner while perfectly representing the company.
The redesign was also to be geared towards subsequent translation into 10 languages so that it could be made available to dealers and craftsmen worldwide as "GRASS - The 2011 Catalogue".
GRASS chose infolox GmbH as its partner, thereby opting for the catalogue experts. Usability, implementation, clear structure and comprehensive consulting are the pillars of infolox GmbH.
Analysis and consistent implementation
The first phase of the project involved analysing the existing conglomerate of main and sub-catalogues in terms of handling, structure, navigation, layout and content.
The entire catalogue was then redesigned. Product groups were reorganised and a well-thought-out guidance system was developed. With a focus on combining user-friendliness and impressive design, the seven-member project team set out to reflect the fresh spirit of the company.
"In recent years, GRASS has undoubtedly earned a reputation for always presenting movement systems in a spectacular way," reports Dirk Braemer, Head of Trade Management at GRASS, "and the new GRASS catalogue is the best example of this."
Dynamic and flexible
Due to the diversity and complexity of the source data, the complete catalogue was created using a precisely defined editorial process. Advantage: The design phase and creation process were organised flexibly for the customer in order to tailor the programme structure and product information to market requirements – while the information architecture was continuously developed towards a single-source approach. During the development of this comprehensive catalogue, all options for product presentation for new products and their redesign were kept open to the customer until the very end.
Phase two of the project involved creating sample pages in Adobe InDesign, editing the catalogue and processing graphics in Adobe Illustrator.
This phase of the work focused on implementation and elaboration. Clearly defined cycles were completed with review and approval units. Digital data capture offers significant advantages for communication between the customer's suppliers, the project manager and the implementation team. Changes and adjustments can be incorporated quickly. During the implementation phase, the catalogue was also fine-tuned for the individual product areas. This enables GRASS to set the standard in the industry with its new product catalogue.
The development of several new products at GRASS was in full swing at the same time, and numerous drawings were recreated and derived from CAD.
Customer benefits at a glance
- Comprehensible programme structure
- Predictable information structure thanks to consistent guidelines – quick overview thanks to recognisable page structures and display formats
- Inspiring product communication
- Starting point for structured data management and automated publication creation as well as market-specific publications
- Product and application-oriented navigation
The new catalogue is essentially the spearhead of our company. It embodies everything that our employees achieve day after day. Here you will find the entire range of GRASS services at a glance: movement systems, accessories, processing aids and lots of useful information. Eight chapters full of movement.
Methodically thought out, user-friendly, clearly structured, with logical links between the information – in short: the new GRASS catalogue is an effective work manual for everyday use. The new trade catalogue was presented for the first time in May 2011 at Interzum in Cologne."
Andreas Marosch, Head of Marketing at GRASS GmbH
