ANNUAL REPORTS
REBUILDING CONFIDENCE
What follows are a dozen case studies of recent annual reports.
As our July 2005 Print Design Survey indicated, annuals remain a meaningful business activity for graphic design firms and corporate inhouse departments, as well as a source of big business for printers, paper companies, stock visual and software companies, and even the odd typographer. The reason is not hard to fathom. Once primarily a financial document, the annual is now largely a marketing opportunity. And the opportunity — to build confidence in the company, to make a vision statement, to extend the corporate branding and identity, to directly connect for a brief, shining moment with key audiences — is too appealing to ignore.
In the course of preparing this roundup, what are we hearing about the state of the annual, aside from its value as a marketing tool? The main themes are, first, that transparency in design and language is now more highly prized than ever, as companies avoid spin as much as can be expected. Second, personalization is also in, with real people within and outside the company now the focus of content. Third, the recent economic recovery may be spotty, but it has largely been good for profits. Consequently, many annuals are telling a story of good news and returning strength after 9.11 and the recession that followed. Fourth, top designers have found non-profits, schools, institutions and foundations to be just as robust a client base as more traditional manufacturing and service corporations. Fifth, there is now a great demand for online and cross-media presentation of reports, and some indication that print runs are modestly down. Sixth and finally, the Enron/Worldcom fallout, combined with Sarbanes-Oxley, is making content, reporting and production more demanding than ever.
