A centerpiece of the Outdoor Recreation Archive at Utah State University is the historical catalog collection, featuring approximately 7,000 catalogs from over 1,000 outdoor brands that date from 1900 to the present. Almost all of these items utilize the format we most often associate with catalogs: a stack of paper folded down the middle where two or three staples hold it together, forming a simple, easy-to-flip miniature book. Usually no bigger than a sheet of notebook paper, such catalogs have long been popular as they offer an attractive and inexpensive way for brands to promote their products to consumers. But just because most catalogs take this form hasn’t stopped some brands from experimenting with novel and attention-grabbing ways to advertise their offerings through other kinds of direct-to-consumer mailings.

One of the best examples of such experimentation is a 1969 catalog from The North Face, which the iconic brand sent out to market their new line of ski clothing. Rather than the traditional booklet-style format, this catalog is contained within a small TNF-branded cardboard box, about the size of a deck of playing cards but square. Opening the box reveals an enticing variety of items. One is a foldout poster featuring stylized photographs of skis, boots, poles, parkas, sweaters, and pants available for purchase using the separate, bright green order form. A gift certificate offers customers the option to gift specific items or dollar amounts to others. Finally, a coupon book, silver with blue lettering, offers discounts for ski lessons, lift tickets, magazines, accommodations, and restaurants.

According to Hap Klopp, who purchased The North Face in 1968, the “Ski Starter Set” catalog was designed to be different because the ski clothing it advertised was different. “We had a very small collection and we didn’t want to be like the “fashionistas” in ski,” Klopp said. “Rather, we wanted to be a ‘functional ski clothing line’ which was quite unusual.” So, what better way to introduce reimagined apparel than with a reimagined catalog? He enlisted David Alcon, who had developed the brand’s corporate identity, to oversee the project, and a local friend, Lloyd Johnson, to do the photography and printing. In addition to its unique design, the end product was also notable for its inaugural use of the graphic logo without the accompanying “The North Face” typography.