[Hidden-tech] Converting Catalogs to Digital Format

[Bruce Hooke]

Hi Tony,
 
If your client has or wants to have a substantial web-presence I would really encourage them to look at whether it makes sense to invest a lot into scanning the existing catalog and trying to make it function as a digital version, when at best, in my opinion, this will result in an only marginally workable online catalog. I've used website catalogs that were clearly electronic versions of a print catalog and I've yet to see one that worked at all well. It's even worse that you are talking about a very large catalog where it becomes critical to be able to find what you want reasonably effectively.
 
The basic problems is that the whole design and layout of a printed catalog simply is not very suitable for an online catalog. In a printed catalog it is easy to flip back and forth between and index and individual pages, and then flip through the pages of the section you want to look at. This is all pretty slow and clunky online compared to a system that is designed from the ground up to for online use. The whole point of designing for the web is that it is not a linear medium like a printed catalog.
 
It still takes some careful design work to create an effective online catalog, but at least it is an investment that will continue to pay off, whereas I rather suspect that if they go the scanning route they will realize in a few years that they need to go back and do what they should have done in the first place: make a proper online catalog. 
 
I realize that the "customer is always right" and that in the end you may have to just do what they want, but I thought I'd at least raise a warning flag about the issues I see with going the direction they seem to want to go.
 
Best of luck,
Bruce Hooke

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From: hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net [mailto:hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net] On Behalf Of Tony Jillson
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 6:25 PM
To: Hidden-Tech Tech
Subject: [Hidden-tech] Converting Catalogs to Digital Format


Hi All, 
I've been asked to find what I can about converting paper catalogs to digital format. These are old-school, pasted up by hand catalogs. Hundreds and hundreds of pages, with Rubylith images pasted in.
The text needs to be converted, and searchable, but can basically remain the same design.
My client says the film and other related supplies are becoming hard to find, and will run out in a year or two, so he needs to get on this sooner than later.
Thanks in advance for any info you may have for me.
-Tony Jillson

Tony Jillson
Birdwaves Media
Web Design � Graphics � Music
stmix at birdwaves.com
(413) 628-3805
www.birdwaves.com




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