Do you feel dread when creating your annual report?

Annual reports conjure up those feelings of 'dread' for the comms teams that produce them.

Do you feel this way?

Many annual reports we see are dull, dry but necessary documents that do little to inspire the audience they're intended for. They're almost a 'we have to do it so let's spend as little on it as possible'. Unfortunately this only has the effect of little engagement and is a waste of already precious and pressured budgets.

Annual reports are important but they don't have to be dull; there are plenty of ways to turn this report into a fun and memorable project that get's remembered for years. And whilst there are many dull annual reports about, a great theme and design can ensure that the document inspires your audience, communicates your organisation's values and engages your teams. In other words, your reading and retention can be maximised rather than wasted.

But how to go about it?

Start today

Regardless of when your company’s financial year ends, start thinking about your annual report today. Don’t wait until the wordage hits your desk to determine a design route. Start discussions with your design team about your story for the year and how to create an annual report that will get people talking.

Tell a story with purpose

What has happened in the year and what do you anticipate happening next year? How does it align with your strategy? Is it a story of change, success or learning experiences? How can this story impact or predict or make your audience think about the year to come?

By taking the time upfront to dig deep and understand where you've come from in the last year and where you're going, a theme will emerge which will drive an engaging design. This is the most important part of the process.

Think of your annual report as a branding piece that helps your audience better understand your organisation whether it's employees, customers or other institutions.

A good annual report will include a year in review, tell the company's history, discuss what you think will happen in the forthcoming year and should be engaging for the people vested in the company and its customers. It should be an engaging piece of brand building.

In telling your story it's important to maintain your brand and tone of voice. Is your company very corporate or more fun and light hearted? Allow that tone of voice to come through in the design, imagery and written word of your annual report. The earlier your design team are involved in this stage of the process the better, because this will also drive the way the report is written by incorporating the theme.

Challenge the format

When many people hear the words 'annual report', they immediately think of a multi-page document that requires a lot of reading. With the deep strategic work completed and a well thought-through theme arrived at, you can now consider the format.

Challenge the format; challenge your thinking about how it should be. An annual report can be a brochure, but it can also be a website or app or include print and digital formats. With the theme/potential design routes, you may be able to convince your organisation to eliminate the huge amounts of text that are often found in annual reports.

Make boring numbers visual

A table of numbers can be boring. Why would anyone want to digest that kind of information unless they're accountants? Those numbers could become something really strikingly visual on a specific page.

The infographic is one of the most valuable tools at your disposal when it comes to reports with plenty of numbers. Read through data and information and work with your design team to develop ways to showcase that data.

Think about new ways to show the impact of data in the report. This format is easier to understand and creates a visual element that draws the audience into the information.

Great imagery portrays your brand personality

Throughout the year, invest in good photography of your people, customers and organisation. Real images make all the difference and can showcase the personality of your brand.

Try not to rely on image libraries unless you're happy to see the image you've purchased being used by someone else. Using images from an image library will only portray some other organisation's brand personality.

Bold typography makes all the difference

When you don’t have a lot of images to work with, bold typography can save an annual report. Numbers are a great and fun element to work with when it comes to creating something that stands off the page.

Oversized lettering draws the eye quickly and when paired with a bright colour option can be both creative and functional.

Iconography also helps

If you've not managed to convince your organisation to cut down on the amount of text, the use of icons can also add an interesting visual element to the overall design. This can help break up large amounts of text. Icons could be used to illustrate new services or a recent survey as an example.

Space = impact

One of the techniques that can most impact an annual report is space. With a document as information-packed as an annual report, information needs plenty of room to breathe.

We suggest having margins that are wider than normal or the reader will be faced with a wall of text and nothing can be more off-putting. Opening up the space in between line (leading) makes this feel less overwhelming and easier to read.

"Every year Be Smart Design surprise and delight us with their ideas for our Annual Report. I think they must spend all year thinking about it! We sit down at the start of the year and have an in-depth thought sharing session on how the Association needs to address certain areas and again, Philippa asks such deep questions that it really gets to the bottom of what we need to be saying.

I particularly like their enthusiasm to come up with ideas year after year and they do listen to what we want. Also the whole team get involved, from the designers to Matt the production manager, as we always like to look at new and different formats if possible. I have to say I really like their approach – I love their creative ideas, they never let us down and we always know what’s happening. The icing on the cake is that they know the social housing sector so well, I can’t speak highly enough of them."

Lisa White Family Housing Association.

If you'd like the Be Smart treatment so your annual report doesn't bore people then call me on 01902 797970, visit besmartdesign.co.uk or email me.