What do divers and accountants have in common? Much more than one would think. The ISCA (Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants) 2020/2021 annual report is, in short, one giant diving metaphor.
Consisting largely of an impressive collection of underwater photographs, the report draws parallels between the two worlds, helping the reader understand their commonalities. It’s these photos that draw the reader deeper into the pages of the report. A variety of images ranging from breath-taking submerged vistas to artful snaps of diving equipment and even split-level images of blue skies and coral reefs transport the reader into the water with a pair of goggles themselves.
The manner in which rays of light have been captured in each of the images is notable. Light and darkness are captured together beautifully to produce photographs that cannot be reproduced artificially, for example on pages 2-3 and 6-7. Images taken out of the water are vibrant and full of life, too. ‘Dive masters’ and ‘boat captains’ (office bearers, council members and company directors) have their photos displayed on a bulletin board.
Another element that fits the diving analogy is the depth markings of a measuring line repeated on all of the separator pages. As the report progresses it moves further down, to the bottom of the page, as though to go hand in hand with the title of the report.
A collection of icons represents the mission statements and also more prominently the strategic priorities of the company on page 17. Snippets of information pertaining to diving are scattered throughout the pages as well, giving readers the best of both the accounting and diving worlds. Despite the flood of challenges faced in the pandemic, ISCA’s journey seems to have gone swimmingly well.
