Create An Excellent College Catalog

By Author: Colleen Davis
Total Articles: 100
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Are you in-charge of the department that handles the catalog printing for the college or university? Then you can produce top-notch college catalogs for incoming freshmen as well as students who want to pursue graduate studies with these simple principles. These may not be strict rules to follow but they can help you prepare a good quality catalog.

1. Have an attractive cover. Let’s face it; the cover is the first thing that students see. The design should speak to them so that they will be encouraged to enroll in the school and take part in any one of your existing programs. The cover could be a digital photo, a collage, an artwork, a vector graphic or any other design that speaks about the values of the school, the environment in the campus, and what it is like to be student there.

2. If you are the designer, look at how other college booklets are designed. Look at the things that make others look good and what doesn’t. Avoid their mistakes and you will get a pretty good idea of what to do with yours. If you are the supervisor, have your designer come up with three different design templates with varying ...
... themes so that you can decide on what to use for the next issue.

3. Give complete information. The different programs and courses are not the only things that concern students. They would also want to know who the teachers and professors are. It would be good to include a short bio of the college professors and their educational attainment. That would give a lot of credence to your university and your programs. Additionally, talk about the school’s extracurricular programs. While academics are important, some students are also interested in special programs that they can take part in to further develop themselves. And more importantly, include information on the scholarships, financial aids, and grants available to them. It could be from the school, from regular donors, or other institutions that are willing to give students support.

4. Prepare catalogs one year in advance. That should give you ample time to gather all the data that you need from different sources and process them for printing. It will also give you leeway in the editing process so that your work will be free of all kinds of errors. Keeping your catalog as error-free as possible will maintain the integrity of your catalog and also of your institution and its programs. That is commitment to excellence.

5. Choose good quality material. While many institutions are trying to bring down the cost of their operations, you cannot sacrifice the quality of your catalog because it may send the wrong message to the prospective students. Most of the students and parents who will receive the booklet have not been to your school. So if they are not impressed with your catalog, they might think that you are not a worthy institution to go to. It will not really make a huge dent on your operating expense but the returns of good quality catalogs are worth it.

There is so much to consider in catalog printing in order to come up with quality college catalogs that will hit the spot. But as always, an excellently prepared handbook will surely reap rewards in terms of enrollment.

For more information, you can visit this page on catalog printing