From the course: Designing an Annual Report in InDesign

About annual reports

From the course: Designing an Annual Report in InDesign

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About annual reports

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- [Instructor] Before we start designing our annual report, we need a quick overview of the purpose of annual reports. Annual reports are formal financial statements prepared for the company's stockholders and other interested parties. An annual report evaluates the year's operations and discusses the company's view of the upcoming year. Both for-profit and non-for-profit organizations produce annual reports. These are the kind of things that go into an annual report: a description of the industry in which the company is involved, audited statements of income, financial position, and cash flow, a management discussion of the business's financial condition, a description of the company's business in the last financial year, a listing of the company's directors and executive officers, and the market price of the company's stock. Annual reports are produced for three main reasons. The first of those is compliance. By law, government departments and listed companies have to publish an annual report. This is part of acting in a transparent way and demonstrating accountability. Two, for posterity, or archival purposes. An annual report will document how well, or perhaps how badly, the company has done in the previous year and lay out plans for the year to come. Thirdly, for marketing. An annual report, whether it's in print or as a website, is a valuable marketing tool. It can be included in submissions, used for the orientation of new staff, and also function as a lobbying document. So who reads an annual report? First and foremost, current shareholders and potential investors. Secondly, employees. The annual report will give management a chance to praise employee quality, teamwork, and commitment. It will also increase employee understanding of the different paths of the company, showing employees how they fit into the bigger picture. And of course employees may themselves be shareholders and they can use the annual report to evaluate their investment in the company. Thirdly, customers. An annual report can help promote the company's image with its customers. It can describe initiatives to improve the company's products, increase its quality, and enhance its services. Fourthly, suppliers. By highlighting internal standards of quality, innovation and commitment, an annual report can signal to suppliers the company's expectation of outside vendors. And lastly, and very importantly, the community at large. Companies are concerned about their reputation in the community. Many annual reports discuss community initiatives undertaken by the company, including charitable contributions, renovation projects, volunteer efforts, and environmental programs. Annual reports are public and you can download a company's annual report from its website. So if you're working on such a project, I suggest you seek out some good examples of annual reports to get a sense of how such documents are structured, how infographics are used, and how design devices like hierarchy, white space, color, and navigational signposts are employed.

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