The annual report of a company is a window through which the world gets to know about some of the most important facts and figures about your organisation. It offers a peek into your business performance and achievements, including flaws and failures of the past year. This is what makes it a unique document which if done right, can prove to be a great marketing tool that attracts investors and stakeholders alike. An annual report is not just a document of figures, it’s an opportunity for you to differentiate yourself from your competitors. According to a renowned UI design agency, annual report is one of the most potent branding tool that you can build to your advantage. If you want advice from the experts, here are a few tips to make your annual report truly professional and engaging.

Be creative yet relevant

Be creative all you want but don’t lose sight of the main goal. Your goal is to present your audience with your company’s current financial position through relevant data. Ensure that in your bid to make your report more attractive, you don’t deviate from the relevance of your annual report. Display your financial information as creatively as possible to proffer a holistic and meaningful picture of your organisation’s performance, business model, strategy, and future prospects.  

2. Emphasize on quality over quantity

A 100-page annual report will only bite dust in your investor’s office. Shareholders and investors seek very specific information before making crucial decisions. Therefore, a 12-page report that covers all the essential financial data is better than creating thick reports that further confuse your primary audience. In the end, it’s the quality of your report that counts. Its value is determined by how you choose to tell your story in a clear, concise and effective manner.    

Focus on engaging content

Content is king. You can’t make bad content look good even with the greatest of designs. The backbone of your annual report should be strong and that is determined by the content you choose to provide. Furthermore, the content should be engaging enough for the audience to feel the need of reading your report till the very end. If you share your story in an intriguing manner with straightforward content, it will generate greater impact on the readers.

4. Use high quality images

The modern audience is more visual-focused than text-driven. Which means that making your annual report in a way that visually appeals the stakeholders using powerful graphics and high quality images is going to pay off in a big way. This includes the report cover page design, which has to capture the gist of your annual report in a manner which is visually gripping and attractive.

5. Make it easily readable

If you make your report visually attractive but fail to organise its contents properly, your readers will have a hard time figuring it out. You don’t want your report to end up in a pile of dusty old books. Who are you making your report for? If the intended audience is not interested in going through your report, what’s the point if making it in the first place. All that investment in content and design goes down the drain if your report is not easily readable. Consider adding a glossary or color coding the pages to increase readability. Also use a simple font that is easily read.   

Build an experience

If you want your stakeholders to hold on to your report a little longer, you need to give them an experience they can’t easily forget. Experiment with different layouts, foldouts, design patterns, formats and textures. It doesn’t really have to be expensive. Find clever ways to tell your story and give them a feel of your brand personality. A UI design agency can help you figure this out.  

7. Invest in a good report cover page design

Many people still judge the book by its cover. Which means it is highly important for you to invest your time, energy and budget on finalising the right design for your annual report cover picture. It has to either follow a theme or has to be an overarching sum total of what your financial year was all about. The cover page is a place where you can bend the rules a bit and be as creative as you can be. Think different and you might just crack it.