ESG and Annual Report alternative formats
Alternative formats for ESG and Annual Report
When designing and delivering ESG (Environment, Social and Governance), Annual Reports, White Papers or Strategy documents, there are alternative formats that may suit your audience better than the traditional A4 PDF. Here we discuss the merits of some of these different approaches.
Reports as PDFs
The prosaic A4, portrait PDF is a format often used to publish reports. It is a format that has been adopted from a traditional print format and in most cases, this no longer applies when designing reports that can be viewed online.
Designing reports that will be viewed digitally, with left and right-hand pages, or even double-page spreads do not make viewing or easy reading.
If you are looking to produce a report as a PDF, design the document to be viewed online, read online and even if it is downloaded and printed, will still deliver an engaging experience.
There is a more detailed article on Designing Online / Interactive Reports here, but as an overview, these are the main points:
Change the format to landscape for better screen reading
Reduce scrolling by using a single column, although this will increase page count
Optimise images and file size
Make content pages and text clickable, with visually identifiable links so people can navigate the PDF
Offer a stripped-back version, removing large areas of solid colours for local printing
Consider Accessibility
The PDF format can be made available to view online, downloaded and of course, emailed. Stakeholders don’t need specialised software to view them and they can be distributed easily. PDFs are great at that…
Online micro-site
Moving to a fully digital online solution requires an up-front investment but longer-term can offer very good value for money.
In terms of Sustainability, Strategy and ESG Reports, the online format works well. It is much more challenging when delivering financial statements. The site can become huge and difficult, but not impossible to navigate.
Even using a comprehensive CMS (Content Management System) will present challenges that most clients will want to avoid.
They do of course offer the best in terms of onscreen viewing and mobile-first build. Your ESG and Annual Report design agency should advise you on the best approach.
Video and Animation
If you are looking to deliver a short, punchy message that is an overview of the year’s reporting, a video can be a very powerful tool.
Videos can be embedded into campaign emails, hosted online and within YouTube channels. But remember, they will only be viewed if your audience knows they are there for the viewing!
The process of reviewing the core messages and editing down content is vital. Few people will sit through a 10-minute video unless it is part of an online learning course. Aim for no more than two minutes. The shorter the better.
Bear in mind, video and animation are time-consuming and therefore can be relatively high in cost. Get your planning and sign-off in order before the animator starts work, as change can be very time consuming. If your agency hasn’t provided a storyboard, static visuals and timeline, getting what you want could mean expensive iterations. Nobody wants that.
Using video and animation as reporting tools can offer wider marketing and engagement tools that more ‘static’ formats do not. They can form part of investor marketing, staff engagement and induction. They are a great accompaniment to the main report.
A word on PowerPoint and Word
These formats are popular with clients wishing to produce reports themselves and have the ability to edit themselves. However, whilst Word will offer the ability to set financial data and be editable, PowerPoint does not. Both applications have design limitations and can increase the time to revise as some elements (like infographics) will need to be imported. They increase file size and add an additional step in the design process.
So, no matter how tempting they might seem, they are best avoided for more in-depth reporting.
As a design agency with 22 years of experience (to date) and specialising in corporate reporting of all types, we will advise you as to the best format and platform for your reporting needs. We will guide you through the process, advise you on structure and potential benefits – we only work in your interests.