Take a look at these two toy catalogs.

Which is more fun to look at?

Now take a look at these three ring catalogs.

Which one did you spend the most time on?

The colors and photography quality of the 2025 catalogs are pleasing to the eye.

But do you feel the monotony of those vertical and horizontal lines?

The superior image quality makes up for a lot.

But the layout? It feels dry. Stiff.

Humans think in clusters—in natural flows and shapes.

This is tied to our love of nature. (In the building world, this desire for natural shapes is part of what's called biophilia.)

The reason mail-order catalogs were able to flow, be readable, and incentivize Americans to flip through them for hours is simple: People took time to design it.

Here’s how Sears built their catalog layouts:

• Merchandisers decided what the company should sell. They prepared Full Merchandising Information ("FMI cards") for each item.

• These FMIs went to a copywriter, who studied them with a copy chief. Each copy chief oversaw about 15 pages.

• Around 95 copywriters played with the layouts—mostly young people trying to make it at Sears, closely watched by senior staff looking for talent.

• The rough layout was sent to an artist to prepare drawings. This was reviewed by the writer and sales manager for accuracy. It also went to:

  • the typographist, who told the writer how many words would fit

  • the photo ad studios, where models were selected to reflect the “American fantasy”

The final layout was a collaboration between copywriters and artists.

Each mail order catalog was a blend of art, photography, typography, marketing, and sales.

Compare this to the drag-and-drop layout of today's e-commerce catalog.

The lack of thoughtfulness is visible.

Imagine an e-commerce experience designed with the same care, creativity, and freedom as a vintage Sears catalog.

I’d have more fun shopping there.