Annual report design

An annual report has two jobs: get the numbers right, and make someone want to read them. Gravitait Design has produced annual reports for investment funds, a public-health foundation and a community health coalition. The work covers editorial design, infographics, financial tables, photo direction and print management, all handled by one senior designer.

Start a project (410) 917-8605

The Adams Express Company

Investment fund annual reports, from 2007

Adams Express began as a nineteenth-century delivery company and became a closed-end fund in 1929. Its 2007 rebrand linked the firm’s value-investing philosophy to its shareholders’ long horizons with the line “Generation after generation, we grow with you”. The annual reports carried that idea through covers and photography of families across generations, giving shareholders a reason to open a financial document.

The same care went into the reports for Petroleum & Resources Corporation, built around investing in resources for the future.

ClientsAdams Express, Petroleum & Resources

ScopeAnnual reports, rebrand

Adams Express “Generation after generation” annual reports, annual report design by Gravitait Design — Adams Express “Generation after generation” annual reports

Petroleum & Resources Corporation annual reports, annual report design by Gravitait Design — Petroleum & Resources Corporation annual reports

Alliance for Consumer Education

Awareness annual reports for a public-health foundation

The Alliance for Consumer Education works to advance community health and well-being, so its reports had to reach people who would never read a conventional one. Over several years the annual report became a scrapbook, a wall calendar that kept the Alliance in view month after month, a “virtual album”, and “Heroes in the Community”, with a caped kid on the cover and numbers inside that feel human.

ClientAlliance for Consumer Education

ScopeAnnual reports, awareness ads

“Heroes in the Community” annual report cover, 2013, annual report design by Gravitait Design — “Heroes in the Community” annual report cover, 2013

Scrapbook and wall-calendar annual reports, annual report design by Gravitait Design — Scrapbook and wall-calendar annual reports

“A Framework for Success” and virtual album annual reports, annual report design by Gravitait Design — “A Framework for Success” and virtual album annual reports

Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County

Care and health annual reports

The Coalition helps uninsured residents of Montgomery County find health care. The subject could easily turn heavy. The challenge was to show the hopeful, optimistic spirit of the work instead, so the reports lead with faces, plain statements like “We all deserve health care”, and a vision of Montgomery County as the healthiest county in the nation.

ClientPrimary Care Coalition of Montgomery County

ScopeAnnual reports

Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County annual reports, annual report design by Gravitait Design — Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County annual reports

Real estate investment annual report and collateral, annual report design by Gravitait Design — Real estate investment annual report and collateral

What’s included

From the first page plan to the finished report. Printed, on screen, or both.

Concept and cover

A single idea for the year, like “Generation after generation” or “Heroes in the Community”, that gives the report a reason to be opened.

Editorial design

Page grid, typography and layouts that make long copy, letters and program stories easy to read.

Financial tables and charts

Statements, highlights and year-over-year figures set clearly and checked carefully.

Infographics

Impact numbers and program results turned into graphics a board member or donor takes in at a glance.

Photo direction

Choosing and directing photography so the people behind the numbers come through.

Print management

Quotes, paper selection, proofing and the press check, or press-ready files for the printer you already use.

How it works

01
Plan
We map the schedule back from the date the report has to be in hands, and agree the page count and content list.
02
Concept
A theme, cover direction and sample spreads, so everyone agrees on the look before full layout starts.
03
Layout
Copy, financials and photography flowed into pages, with proofs as each section comes together.
04
Press
Final corrections, press-ready files and, if we are managing print, the press check.

Schedules depend mostly on how much of the content is ready: copy, audited figures and photography. We plan the timeline against your print or meeting date at the start.

Questions

The things people ask before starting a project like this.

When should we start our annual report?

As soon as you know the date it has to be printed or presented. Design moves quickly once content arrives; it is late copy and figures that squeeze schedules, so starting the plan early is the best insurance.

Does an annual report have to be a traditional booklet?

No. For the Alliance for Consumer Education the annual report has been a scrapbook and a wall calendar that stayed on the wall all year. The right format is the one your audience will actually keep.

Can you handle the printing?

Either way. We can prepare press-ready files for a printer you already use, or manage the whole thing: quotes, paper, proofing and the press check. Twenty-seven years of production experience means fewer reprints.

Do you work with organisations outside Maryland?

Yes. The studio is in Hanover, Maryland, which makes in-person reviews and press checks easy around Baltimore and Washington, DC, but annual reports are routinely designed and delivered remotely.

Plan this year’s report

Send the date your report has to be ready and roughly how many pages it runs. You will get a reply within one business day and a fixed quote after a short call.

(410) 917-8605
Gravitait Design, Hanover, Maryland 21076
Sun–Fri 9am–8:30pm, Sat 9:30am–8:30pm ET