InDesign Print Catalog Designer – Selection Process – Paid Test Task:

Title: InDesign Print Catalog Designer – 288-Page Furniture Catalog (Image Curation, Layout Refresh, Print-Ready PDF) Test Description: We are a small furniture retail chain producing an annual printed catalog with a print run of 40,000–50,000 copies. We are looking for an experienced graphic designer to create this year's edition based on our established catalog framework. Important – please read carefully: This is NOT a from-scratch design project. The catalog framework, page concept, and a fully built InDesign document of approx. 500 pages already exist. Your task is curation and optimization within this framework — no pages need to be built from scratch. Our Two-Phase Approach: Phase 1 – Full Refresh of All 500 Pages: In the first step, you will work through the entire existing 500-page InDesign document: exchanging images (selected from our DAM), refreshing layouts, and optimizing every double-page spread within the established framework. The goal is that every single page reaches its best possible version — fresh, contemporary, and true to our visual language. Phase 2 – Condensing to the Final 288 Pages: In the second step, and in close coordination with us, the refreshed 500 pages are condensed down to the final 288-page catalog. Together we will select the strongest pages based on: Entertainment value of the spread Sales volume of the featured products Relevance within the assortment Revenue strength Persuasive power of the layout Only the best 288 pages make it into the final printed catalog. You will prepare page proposals and selection recommendations; final decisions are made jointly with us. Get a Picture of the Catalog: The current 288-page edition is also available as an animated, digitally browsable online catalog (page-flip format). Access will be shared with shortlisted candidates so you can get a complete picture of the catalog's look and feel before starting the test task. Selection Process – Paid Test Task: Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a paid test assignment (fixed-price contract, $300 USD total) consisting of two parts: Part 1 – Cover Design (3 proposals): You will receive access to our image pool, which contains the imagery used in our last 10 catalog editions. From this pool, select an image (or images) of your choice and design three distinct cover proposals for the upcoming catalog. We want to see your eye for image selection as well as your layout and typography skills. Part 2 – Double-Page Spreads (2 layouts): Redesign two selected double-page spreads based on material we will provide. The goal is a refreshed, contemporary layout — not a redesign from scratch. All source files (images, existing layouts, brand references) will be shared via Dropbox after the test contract has started. Deliverables: print-ready PDFs plus open InDesign files. The final hiring decision for the full catalog project will be based on the results of this test task.