If there’s any design assignment more thankless than creating an annual report, we haven’t come across it. Often you are designing material for people who are far more interested in the bottom line than how that bottom line is communicated. That’s why when we see a fun and creative annual report, we tend to throw our arms around it and show it off to anyone willing to take a peek. Take this fantastic example by Levine & Associates for the Children’s National Medical Center Foundation.
Working with the Children’s Miracle Network, the foundation sends major corporate donors an annual report to keep them abreast of where their money goes and who it helps. In the past, this was put into a more traditional booklet form. For this version, however, they decided to have more fun with it. Using a 12-page “endorsement” fold, they printed the relevant facts and figures on the 3-page interior spread…
…and dedicated the entire reverse side to this wonderful “thank you” message to the donors. Photographs of children by Marco Javier were brilliantly blended with illustrations provided by Jackie Lay during her time at Levine & Associates. Not only is the design far more dynamic than what we’re used to when it comes to an annual report, it makes a bold commitment to depicting children healthy and happy rather than in distressing stages of treatment. (There are, of course, arguments both for and against taking this approach.)
Special kudos go to the design team for working prop photographs into the design as well, which makes all the difference. As a donor, who wouldn’t feel a sense of pride for being in some way responsible for making such a joyous scene possible?
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