This Annual Report was produced for The Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), Ireland’s leading international affairs think tank. They are a not-for-profit organisation whose aim is to provide a forum for all those interested in EU and International affairs.
The brief was as follows:
- To create a cover design featuring the most significant IIEA guest speakers from 2018 on the cover.
- To produce a design that would engage younger audiences, and reflect the energy and passion in the organisation.
Process
I began the design process by identifying what an annual report should represent:
- Communicate values and principles of the organisation.
- Celebrate milestones.
- Record and accountability.
- Engage existing and potential audience.
I came to these conclusions by researching annual reports from other leading think tanks, such as Chatham House and Bruegel. Looking at their publications also helped to inform how I approached the design of the annual report. As the cover would need to feature photos of several important IIEA speakers, I also compiled examples of photographic collages. I felt that a collage approach would allow me to produce a more dynamic and interesting composition with the speaker photographs.
When I came to the designing the publication, I began with the cover. I requested that the IIEA provide me with a list of the speakers they wanted featured on the cover. I then looked at what subjects these speakers had spoken on. Using the assets that were originally used to promote each of these speaker’s talks, I created a mix media collage, featuring the speakers and the imagery that represented their speeches throughout the year. This created a strong visual link between the speaker and their individual subject matter. It also allowed for a colourful and vibrant cover design that would help the IIEA engage a younger audience, as was requested in the brief.
For the layout, I remained faithful to the IIEA’s brand colours, but I also updated the colour scheme to appeal to a modern audience. Gradients allowed me to successfully make that expansion on the IIEA’s existing colour palette. Circles and lines are used as motifs throughout piece to represent a conversation or dialogue coming “full circle”.
Challenges
The IIEA is an established organisation with a long history. This design was completely new direction for the organisation’s publication designs. Convincing staff to buy into such a radically different approach proved to be a challenge. I also had to carefully balance appealing to new younger audiences, while still respecting the IIEA’s existing members. By collaborating with representatives from the Research department throughout the process, I was able to keep a clear focus on what my client needed me to deliver. I had to work to a strict deadline – due to scheduling constraints the entire project had to be produced within a month, in time for the AGM.
Conclusion
I was able to secure a positive reception from both the IIEA and its member base with this design. This was a very rewarding and interesting project to work on. I learned a lot about managing my work load under tight time constraints. Organising my process effectively was crucial to me meeting the client’s deadline.
