Design Challenge and Design Ideas

We have developed a great working relationship with Concern Worldwide over the past two decades: a relationship based on collaboration, open-mindedness and trust. For twenty consecutive years, we have been privileged to design Concern’s Annual Report – and every year we strive to exceed their expectations by designing a Report that is powerful, beautiful and relevant – without being ostentatious. This year offered an extra challenge: to align the look and feel of the Annual Report with Concern’s refreshed visual identity and new brand positioning.

How the brief was fulfilled

Our goal every time we design an Annual Report for Concern is to ensure that it delivers more than a simple outline of the organisation’s activities during the previous 12 months. It must reflect the ethos of the organisation and show the range of lifesaving and transformative work that Concern does in some of the world’s most challenging contexts with the support and commitment of their greatest asset – their staff of over 3,600.

Concern recently introduced a new tagline, ‘Ending extreme poverty whatever it takes’, that fully embodies what the organisation is all about, and this was identified as the theme of this year’s Report.

From a design perspective, we strived to reflect Concern Worldwide’s ethos using the various elements of the new identity to communicate different aspects of the refreshed brand tone of voice and core values.

The editorial approach to the design allows Concern’s beautiful photography to lead the story-telling, with detailed captions revealing people’s background stories while respecting their dignity and authentic voice.

Data is presented in bite-size chunks, making it easy to consider and understand. Moving away from data, the Report is rich with case studies and features around Concern’s progamme work. This all echoes back to their tagline and reflects the organisation’s action-oriented nature and spirit of accountability.

Throughout the Report, a condensed colour palette of punchy and bold turquoise, teals and green, offset by the use of a bright sunshine yellow, reflects Concern’s courageous work and its positive impact on people’s lives. Big and bold headings punctuate the document’s narrative holding the reader’s attention and indicating the organisation’s determined and direct approach.