
Project managing an Annual Report can feel like a never ending series of hurdles. From gathering content to agreeing a design, sourcing imagery and making sense of the finances, overseeing this process is a huge undertaking.
Our experience on more than 100 Annual Reports has taught us to ‘keep calm and carry on’ whatever the challenge and we support our clients every step of the way – even when they need to take a holiday!
Over the next couple of months, we’ll be sharing what we’ve learned in this evolving blog. We hope it will help both novice and experienced managers clear these Annual Report hurdles, with confidence.
Finding the perfect design partner
With your content in the pipeline, your next challenge is to choose a design agency which suits you and your organisation. Be prepared, because this can be time consuming and challenging. And if you get it wrong, expensive.
Do your research and shortlist a few companies which have the relevant experience and look good on paper. Ideally pick local companies so you can visit their studio and meet the whole team face to face. It’s helpful to talk openly about your budget so that the designers can give you an honest response and this is also an opportunity to prompt them to suggest ways they can flex your outgoings. For example, by commissioning new photography which can be repurposed after your report is published.
These meetings are a chance to assess both the design style of the companies and their working practices. The chemistry needs to be right because you still have many hurdles to jump before your Annual Report goes to print and you’ll be relying heavily on your designers to help you over most of them!
Click here to read more of our tips about getting the best from your design partnership.
Next hurdle coming up: Making your Annual Report work harder