As Creative Director, I established a complete seasonal design and production cycle that ran three times per year. Each cycle involved:

• Commissioning and art directing 12-16 new retail designs from freelance illustrators
• Developing catalog layouts that balanced inspiring visual presentation with dense product information
• Managing a team of two designers through the production of full catalogs (24-32 pages) twice annually, plus supplemental editions (6-8 pages)
• Ensuring consistent brand presentation across all customer touchpoints

The catalog structure needed to support three distinct user needs: custom ordering information, retail designs organized by aesthetic category (Active, Playful, Winter, etc.), and the same retail designs reorganized by product body style for buyers focused on specific drinkware types.

I developed two distinct grid systems optimized for different content sections:

Retail by Category (7-column grid): This more spacious grid allowed design imagery to breathe while accommodating product details (design name, body style, product number, size in ounces, and per-piece pricing). The wider columns gave wholesale buyers room to appreciate the seasonal design work while scanning specifications.

Retail by Body Style (8-column grid): This tighter grid maximized information density for buyers shopping by product type rather than aesthetic. The narrower columns allowed for efficient comparison across multiple products while maintaining readability.

Both systems needed to work within an 8.5x11 saddle-stitched format on coated paper stock, balancing durability for sales use with cost-effectiveness for wholesale distribution.

We utilized Trade Gothic Condensed throughout the catalogs, consistent with the oneVessel brand identity. The condensed letterforms were essential for fitting product information into tight column structures while maintaining legibility. At small sizes across hundreds of SKUs, every typographic decision affected usability—weight choices, size relationships, and spacing all needed to support quick scanning and comparison shopping.

Rather than traditional product photography, I established a mockup system using manufacturer-supplied blank product photos. My team applied our seasonal retail designs and custom options to these templates, creating a consistent visual presentation across 175+ retail SKUs and 400+ custom/unbranded options in each full catalog.

For the seasonal retail designs, I art directed freelance illustrators through multiple rounds, ensuring each design worked effectively both as standalone artwork and when applied to various drinkware body styles. The illustrations needed to be vibrant and eye-catching to inspire wholesale orders while translating well to the physical constraints of drinkware production.

Over four years, I mentored Nina Painter (Senior Designer) and Nancy Taing (Junior Designer) through increasingly complex catalog production. Initially, I designed the grid systems and produced the first catalogs myself. As the team developed, I transitioned to creating layout drafts and providing art direction while they executed production—gradually increasing their responsibility and decision-making as their skills grew.

This mentorship approach ensured consistency across 8+ full catalogs and 4+ supplemental editions while building the team's capabilities for long-term success.

The wholesale catalog system became the primary sales tool for oneVessel's transformation from a custom promotional products company to a design-driven retail brand. Each catalog edition organized 575-580 total SKUs across three strategic sections:

1. Custom & Co-Branded Ordering: Clear presentation of customization options and ordering processes
2. Retail by Category: 175+ seasonal designs organized by aesthetic appeal to inspire buyers
3. Retail by Body Style: The same designs reorganized by product type for specification-focused shopping

The catalogs were distributed to wholesale buyers at cafes, grocery stores, and specialty retailers nationwide, supporting the company's expansion into sought-after retail markets.

The oneVessel brand and wholesale catalog system fundamentally changed Katri Inc.'s business model. The company successfully transitioned from simply applying customer logos to promotional drinkware to creating and selling design-driven seasonal collections. The catalogs enabled them to build wholesale relationships with cafes and grocery stores across the country, establishing oneVessel as a recognized retail brand in the reusable drinkware market.

The catalog system I developed—and the team I built and trained to produce it—gave the company the tools to compete in a design-forward market while maintaining the efficiency needed to manage hundreds of SKUs across multiple product categories.