Annual reports are all too often seen as something of a drag when it comes to design, mainly because of their technical and number-ridden nature. There are, however, ways that you can turn an annual report into something fun, engaging, and memorable and not your usual, boring reading. A good annual report design will help you increase information retention. Better still, it will help you increase actual readership and engagement, making employees, business partners, important clients, and stakeholders more invested in the direction your company is taking. When you think about an annual report in a more visually digestible manner, you’ll be able to create a design that will turn boring tables and charts into an engaging conversation about the actual purpose of those reports and numbers.
One of the best ways to improve your annual report design is to create a report that tells a unified story. Nothing makes an annual report such a drag more than seemingly unconnected facts and figures. If you can find a way to weave a tale and connect the dots of your annual report, you’ll be able to create a more cohesive story to tell your readers. While this can be quite a challenge to do, especially with the amount of financial information that the report must contain, it is not impossible, and it can tell your success story or your vision of success for the future. A good rule of thumb to follow when designing an annual report is to go at it thinking of a way for your people to have a better understanding of the business and organization they are a part of.
Once you have a story to tell, make your annual report design visually engaging. An infographic is a great model to follow if you want to tell your company’s story in a visually engaging and relevant manner.