Catalogs and brochures deliver their marketing message in a very intimate environment: the hands of the reader. For this reason, the sense of touch plays an important role in print design. Clay-coated stock may be temptingly soft; an upscale sales brochure may have an impressive heft. Customers may hold on to a tiny brochure because it's charming. Understanding the technical challenges of commercial printing ensures the quality so important here.

Of equal importance to an art director's technical and design responsibilities is the ability and experience to communicate with photographers and the rest of the creative team how best to bring the client's message to life through color, imagery and typography.