Fall 2023
Overview
In the final portion of our branding project, we had to design the cover, president's page, company page, financials page, and balance sheets page of an annual report. We had to write all copy in the report, and for the balance sheets page we had to correct and reformat the provided financial information into an easy-to-read table. For this project in particular, it was important to analyze existing annual reports.
Research + Brainstorming
When beginning my research, I dug deep to find annual report examples specifically from children's science museums. This was really helpful in understanding how existing museums translate fun and playful branding into a more serious, clear, and concise annual report. I also looked for a lot of examples of each museum's financial pages so I could be more realistic when designing my own. Then, when brainstorming, I made sure to go into as much detail as I could in planning all of the content that would be on each page. I knew we didn't have to be super realistic or accurate when designing our infographics, but it was important to me to be detailed enough that any financial information I included would be within the realm of possibility for a kids' museum.
Sketches + Doodles
I broke my sketches down into sections so it wasn't so overwhelming. I started with the cover page, then sketched out ideas for the presidents page/company page spread, and then the financials spread. While I was getting some good ideas on where to place things, I still felt I needed some extra sketches dedicated solely to the base layout and where I'd place the headers, subheads, and page numbers. Also, I was on an airplane for the rest of my preliminary work which is why these are done digitally.
Thumbnails
Things were really coming together in the thumbnails. I was worried about how I'd fit all the text I wanted within the full-size page, but I liked the direction these pages were heading. I realized that I liked bits and pieces of each of the thumbnails, so I was planning on combining many of the little elements into one composition.
Intermediate Compositions
As I moved on to intermediates, I was trying to keep in mind that I should keep things simple. Since an annual report isn't really geared toward an audience of the general public, I could keep any graphic elements more simple. I didn't need to fill every single space.
Final Hand Composition
Black + White Computer Progressions
Due to still being out traveling, I couldn't print these and had to digitally markup each page. During these progressions, I decided to reintroduce certain little graphic elements from my other sketches after all. I realized that it also didn't make sense to basically have two sets of headlines, so by my third progression, the page layouts looked much nicer. The company page turned out to be the most difficult. I really wanted to keep all of the information in the paragraphs, but this made the page pretty cramped. Simple was better for the financials spread, but adding extra graphics to frame the headers and footers enhanced the design of the rest.
Color Studies + Applications
It was harder than I thought to find a harmonious color combination. During my second color study, I realized how nice the green and navy blue looked together, so I kept that tucked away in my head for what would become my final application. It was during this application that I decided I could easily photoshop the company president's pants to match the green branding color since her shirt already matched the navy. With how nice the navy and blue looked together, I almost wished I went with that combination for my overall branding colors instead of the greyish brown and green.
Final Annual Report
