A Catalogue Entry for a Reversible Object: One Item Shown From Both Sides
A catalogue can confuse visitors in a simple way. A reversible scarf, a two sided placemat or a flip over notebook cover is photographed from each side. If each photo gets its own listing, the shop appears to sell two products, stock may be split, and a customer may order the wrong face. If both photos are merged without labels, the customer cannot tell that the other side exists. This article proposes a catalogue artifact that keeps one item as one item while making both sides visible. The example is hypothetical.
Inputs to collect
Use an invented product such as a Sample Reversible Mat. For it, gather one identifier, such as MAT-100, one name, one price field if you list prices, and two photographs. Write a short label for each side, for example Side A and Side B, plus a plain description of what each side shows, based on what you can see in the photo. Also note whether the two sides can be chosen separately when ordering. If you do not know that, leave the field blank.
Decision branches
Ask first: are these two sides physically one object? If yes, create one record, with one identifier and two view slots.
If the two sides are separate objects that happen to be shown together, create two records and link them with a neutral label such as Shown together.
If the object is one thing but is sold in variations, such as different colourways, keep the sides inside each variation and give each variation its own record only if you already track them separately.
If you are unsure whether the sides are one object, do not publish until someone who has handled the item confirms.
Stop conditions
Hold the entry if the same identifier appears on two listings, if the second photo is labelled with a different product name, or if the page text says Two designs in one without explaining which side faces up by default. Hold it too if the description of a side claims anything you cannot see in the photo.
A worked example
The Sample Reversible Mat has the identifier MAT-100. View one is labelled Side A: striped pattern, shown as the default. View two is labelled Side B: plain colour. The listing title is Sample Reversible Mat, and a short line under the images reads: One item, two usable sides. The catalogue count increases by one, not two. A visitor who searches for the plain colour finds the same record, with Side B highlighted as the matching view.
Presentation choices
Show both views as thumbnails with their labels. Avoid arrow icons or captions that suggest a before and after change. Choose the default view and state it. If the shop offers no way to choose a side at order time, say so in plain words, or leave the topic out instead of implying it.
An actionable acceptance test
Export or list your catalogue entries for the sample. Count records containing the identifier MAT-100. The test passes if the count is exactly one and that record holds two labelled views.
Then ask someone unfamiliar with the shop to open the page and answer two questions: how many products are here, and how many sides can you see? Correct answers are one and two. Finally search for a phrase from Side B and confirm it leads to the same record. If any step fails, revisit the labels, not the photographs.
Conclusion
A reversible object is one item with two views. Treat the identifier as the item and the labelled sides as presentation. That keeps counts, search and customer understanding aligned without extra claims about the product.