The German firm Vorwerk has an unusual history. Founded in 1883, the company began as a carpet maker, turned into an arms manufacturer during World War I, and following the war, abandoned military research and began making electric motors for gramophones. In the century since its beginnings this family-owned business makes kitchen and household appliances, its most famous brands being the multi-purpose kitchen tool, Thermomix and the vacuum cleaner, Kobold.
The various elements of design in their 2022 report work hard to soften the image of the company.
The report uses a bright, friendly green as the main colour component. Text is set in a generously leaded sans serif and aligned ragged-right, and plenty of negative space in the page grid makes this a pleasant report to read.
Cubes with curved corners work as linking elements, tying the various sections and infographics together. The curved corner is reflected also in the way certain photographs are cropped.
Added to this are softly-lit photographs and cheerfully coloured, floating, three dimensional letters that mark individual sections.
Reinforcing the idea of a family-owned business is the friendly, familiar tone of the copywriting. Coupled with the various design choices described above, the overall effect is one of optimism and confidence.
