At its most basic form, an annual report must communicate credibility and transparency. These days most companies opt to share this information online. We get it, annual reports can be expensive. However we’d argue isn’t the whole point to establish a connection that’s memorable with shareholders? That’s exactly what this annual report from KTG Group does.
In cooperation with freelance journalists, the newspaper of the future – “Der Report” – was created in order to allow shareholders to take a look into the year 2020. The report addresses questions like What challenges will the agricultural and energy sectors be facing in future? And how does the company position itself today in order to master these challenges? Designed by the team at Sherpa, this annual report does a great job of making the data not only visually appealing but very engaging as well.
By opting for a tabloid size newspaper, one can’t help but touch and feel the piece, making a connection from the onset. The choice of newsprint also imparts a subtle message to the shareholder about how their money is being spent. The design team could have gone with a traditional bound book, with all the bells and whistles but instead chose a more practical application for communicating KTG’s message. With the recent popularity of customer newspapers in marketing, it not only shows their fiscal responsibility but also conveys an awareness of current trends – we especially appreciate the pictograms used to tell their environmental story.
In addition to the newspaper, they used a traditional brochure format to explain business developments in their agricultural and energy sectors as well as a microsite and connected them all with common elements. A well executed piece, and a great use of the substrate to make what is arguably the most important marketing communication of the year for a company connect with its audience.
Images via Behance