ANNUAL + CORPORATE REPORTS

A CHANGE IN SPIRIT

In the four decades we’ve covered this topic, reports have morphed — broadly speaking — from purely financial documents, into marketing and vision statements, and then into cross-media communications tools. Are we on the verge of another evolutionary transformation? Many designers tell us that, increasingly, clients of all sizes and stripes are seeking reports that address how their organization affects the lives of all stakeholders, not just employees and shareholders. And redefining the notion of “stakeholder” very broadly to include community, nation, even planet. Ten top design firms show us recent work and discuss this changing zeitgeist, as well how they are dealing with the pressures of recession and why they believe annual, corporate and social responsibility reports remain relevant.