Spyder Active Sports cuts catalog production time in half

Makers of high performance skiwear, Spyder is known internationally for its creative and high-tech approach to skiwear. Begun as a kitchen-table business less than 30 years ago, Spyder has for a generation defined the way skiers dress for the slopes.

THE CHALLENGE

Develop an automation solution for a complex catalog in just a few weeks

Spyder’s reseller catalogs are distinguished by modern, functional design and simple photography. However, the complex product lines, fabrics and construction details presented a challenge when organizing merchandise data and building pages. As the business grew, the challenge of producing four to five catalogs, each between 28 and 120 pages, became overwhelming.

In order to prevent a total meltdown, the art department at Spyder needed to revamp the catalog production process by reorganizing the product data and streamlining page assembly with data linking tools. The need became urgent, and the solution needed to be working within just a few weeks in order to meet production deadlines.

THE SOLUTION

Custom FileMaker data aggregator & EasyCatalog for InDesign

Avatar determined that the best catalog automation tool for Spyder’s requirements is EasyCatalog, an InDesign-only product. Spyder was already contemplating a migration from QuarkXPress to InDesign, and there was quick agreement that this was the right path.

Avatar’s database analysts went to work examining the complex data relationships within Spyder’s merchandise system. High performance skiwear is constructed of many different branded fabrics, insulating methods, seam techniques, and outer design treatments. All of this information had to be related properly to each garment and product line, along with brand logos, product photography and size assortments. The IT staff at Spyder worked closely with Avatar during this crucial phase of the project, and helped to develop the necessary data exports.

Avatar quickly realized a need to aggregate data from several different databases at Spyder, and create some new data fields in order to support the catalog automation process. It was determined that building a custom FileMaker database to unify all the data would take far less time and effort than modify Spyder’s existing databases, so Avatar designed and implemented a FileMaker database to normalize and link the various data sources.

At the same time as the FileMaker development was in process, Avatar’s InDesign automation experts began designing templates with live links that would accept input from the database. Since much of Spyder’s product information is presented in tabular form, the InDesign templates made extensive use of tables, but went far beyond the native capabilities of InDesign. EasyCatalog adds powerful on-the-fly conditional analysis to InDesign table building. This means that tables can adapt to the needs of the data — adding or subtracting columns, merging cells, and adjusting column and row settings. All of this happens without user intervention, and without complex coding.

This tandem approach to development meant that Avatar could deliver Spyder’s solution on time and on budget, despite the complexities of the product data.

Equally important, Avatar had the production experience to develop the solution with end-users in mind. We knew that desktop publishers are not keen to learn fancy scripting commands or turn their layout methods upside down to accommodate a data-driven workflow. The final solution brought simplicity and a familiar toolbox together in one seamless package. The result: a solution that everyone is happy to use.

THE RESULTS

Production time cut in half, improved quality and consistency of catalog

Darren Zrubek, Art Director for Spyder, has been very impressed with the entire solution. “Avatar has been a life saver for us here at Spyder. We were using an aging workflow and were in desperate need of an overhaul, but afraid of the expense and the learning curve. Avatar and the implementation of EasyCatalog for InDesign changed everything — they put the ‘Easy’ in EasyCatalog. The entire experience — their training, communication, and of course (and very important) customer service — was exceptional. The folks at Avatar are amongst the brightest I have worked with.”

Darren says that EasyCatalog has made a huge difference in producing the catalog, literally cutting production time in half, while at the same time increasing accuracy and providing a more flexible page design. The actual production schedule still runs from July through November, but nobody’s working 16 hour days and weekends to complete the catalog; all work is accomplished at a reasonable pace during normal business hours. Initial roll-out of the solution was bolstered by on-site training and support, which ensured a successful implementation. Spyder now has a catalog production system that is poised to take them well into the future without expensive overhauls or upgrades.