U+I Group’s 2018 annual report gets to right to the point from the very onset; the cover page has a direct, promising message to the reader, not to mention a bold and clean design with centered, sans serif type. This straightforward message aptly sums up the company’s story told in the report.
The report is of standard A4 size, held together with a Swiss binding. When the cover is opened along with its flap, a single financial statistic impresses, but the next page encourages the reader to look beyond numbers to the human elements; the people whom the company consider equal in value to their financial success.
An excerpt from the CEO’s message acts as a preface of sorts – a springboard from which the reader is invited to leap into the rest of the report. The chairman’s introduction is structured as an interview and is relevant, exciting and positive.
Throughout the report, there is a balanced mix of different styles of photography, typography, data representation, illustrations and infographics. Colours used are bright and mostly solid; different hues for different segments. Full bleed photographs paired with bold, eye-catching text ensures that the reader is engaged throughout the first half of the report. The subtle use of arrows every now and then ensures the pages keep turning. Along with every story is a link to read more online.
Pages 20-21 hold an interesting visual: a section of a newspaper consisting of marriage proposals and/or those looking for a partner. Through this, the company highlights its criteria when looking for trusted business partnerships.
Another special feature is the 17th Century illustration on pages 32-33. What initially seems out of place in a contemporary design is given value in that the company takes special interest in the entire story of a place – not just its present, but its past as well.
Showcasing the stories of a number of different locations as proof of their success, this annual report is bursting with life, with all its varying, colourful elements cleverly combined.
