To make this year’s annual report stand out from previous years, the design approach was based on a geometric and typographic treatment strongly influenced by the art deco movement. Streamlined straight lines and sharp angles feature on the front cover and sections in body of the report which reflect characteristics of the art deco font, Caviar Dreams (see Attachment A—front cover design).
The font chosen for body copy was Helvetica Neue, the department’s corporate font, providing a clear link to the department’s corporate identity.
The primary colour is a 90 per cent black with a number of tints used to create shades of contrasting shapes. The secondary colour palette; teal (C=100 M=0 Y=30 K=0), coral (C=0 M=75 Y=75 K=0) and orange (C=0 M=45 Y=100 K=0) was developed to compliment the black and also provide the required colour contrast to meet online accessibility standards.
To support easy navigation of such a long document, part breaks were emphasised with large photographs and an orange right-aligned table of contents. Chapter breaks for the outcomes against which the department had to report were emphasised with orange and a full-page photo. Case studies, with the title ‘Close up’, were differentiated through the use of teal, and as the title would indicate, a close-up photograph of the story’s subject.
To emphasise the department’s ‘people our business’ motto, large photographs of the department’s clients and staff were used throughout the document at all part and chapter breaks. These photos were selected on the basis of their relevance to the subject matter in the section, providing a visual orientation to the subject matter at hand.
