Meaningful and Impactful Design

Annual Report Design

In 2022, I designed the annual report for the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

The Challenge

As with many annual reports, the requirement was to include fundraising and other impact numbers, letters from the executive director and board president, articles featuring the organization's initiatives and achievements from the year, acknowledgements to partners, and a call-to-action. The organization's development team had selected the theme "Defending Liberty Hand-in-Hand." My task was to come up with a design and layout that portrayed this theme, communicated the values of the organization, and adhered to their brand guidelines.

The Design and Layout

To convey the theme, I took inspiration from the idea of little paper people connected at their hands, which we all cut out when we're young. I wanted to reflect the diversity of the population that the organization serves and keep the design simple to let the content shine.

I used the gold and purple colors from the organization's palette and highlighted the impact numbers at the front and the call-to-action at the end with a light font on a dark purple background. For the articles, I used a white background and black font to make it easy for readers to find and read specific content. The use of a light background for longer-form content enhanced readability and accessibility.

Final Design

The final annual report (PDF/2.3MB) has a consistent, clean, and simple yet striking layout. The report effectively communicates the values and impact of the ACLU of Pennsylvania to its stakeholders while adhering to the organization's brand guidelines. By using two colors from the organization's color palette and highlighting important information, the report is easy to read and accessible. The theme of "Defending Liberty Hand-in-Hand" is embodied throughout the report, creating a cohesive and impactful design.