Difference Between Catalogue and Brochure

Key Differnce – Catalogue vs Brochure
 

Both catalogues and brochures offer some information about a company, its products and services. However, there is a difference between catalogue and brochure; a catalogue is a booklet or leaflet that has a complete list of items in a systematic order whereas brochure is a small booklet that contains information and pictures about a service or product. The key difference between catalogue and brochure is that a catalogue contains all the products and services offered by a company whereas a brochure highlights information about the company and few selected products and services.

What is a Catalogue?

A catalogue is a list of items arranged systematically with descriptive details. Catalogues are always arranged in a systematic order so that items can be found easily. They can be found in shops, exhibitions, libraries, educational institutes, etc. Catalogues in a shop will contain descriptions of the all the products. A library catalogue will contain information such as the book title, author, genre and its location (which section, which shelf, etc.).

The purpose of a catalogue is to offer information about a product or a service offered by a particular company. It has simple and essential information about a product; this information is presented in a brief and clear manner. Some catalogues also have pictures of the product on them. Given below is an example of a catalogue.

What is a Brochure?

A brochure is a booklet or pamphlet containing descriptive or advertising material. They are promotional documents that are mainly used to introduce a company, its products or services. They also inform prospective customers of the benefits offered to them. Travel brochures are a common example of brochures.

Brochures are usually printed on high-quality paper; they are more colourful and are folded into panels. Bi-fold brochures are single sheets printed on both sides and folded in halves; these have four panels. Tri-fold brochures are folded into three parts and have six panels.  Brochures are also available in electronic format – these are called e-brochures. Given below is an image of a travel brochure.

What is the difference between Catalogue and Brochure?

Catalogue vs Brochure
A catalogue is a list of items arranged systematically with descriptive details.	A brochure is a booklet or pamphlet containing descriptive or advertising material.
Order
Catalogues are always systematically ordered, especially alphabetically.	The information in a brochure may not have an order.
Content
Catalogues have essential information about products.	Brochures contain a description of the company and highlight few selected items.
Pictures
Only some catalogues have pictures of products.	Brochures have attractive and colourful pictures.
Pages
Catalogues have at least few pages.	Brochures typically have one page.
Binding
Catalogues are bound or stapled.	Brochures are folded.

 Image Courtesy:

“1990-xx-xx JCPenney Christmas Catalog P454” by Wishbook (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr

“Phi Phi Island Travel Brochure” by Harsha K R  (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr