Let’s talk reports – the cornerstones in corporate transparency and accountability and the most representative piece of branding for any company.
Why so? Effective reporting serves not just as a compliance tool, but as a strategic asset that can enhance stakeholder trust, reflect company values, and underscore a commitment to sustainability and ethical governance. At the same time, it is a strong brand expression proving how the brand really walks the talk – on the level of design as well.
This article will explore the nuanced role of corporate reports in branding, comparing traditional PDFs against dynamic landing pages, to highlight how these mediums can be leveraged to communicate a company’s mission, achievements, and future aspirations effectively, aligning with the growing emphasis on ESG principles. Why didn’t we include print?
Other than the Annual Financial Report, the importance of ESG reports is underscored by the broader societal expectations placed on businesses today. These reports have evolved beyond voluntary disclosures, with various jurisdictions laying down formal regulations to ensure companies disclose their ESG footprints comprehensively in their annual reports and regulatory filings. Yet, further change is coming.
Changing sustainability reporting standards
In the European Union, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is expanding the scope of ESG reporting, necessitating that companies report on sustainability matters that are material to their value creation and their impact on the economy, environment, and society—a concept known as “double materiality.” This approach significantly broadens the reporting boundaries, requiring companies to consider not only their direct operations but also their indirect business relationships, both upstream and downstream.
The CSRD is expected to further professionalize ESG reporting within companies, prompting the involvement of various internal teams beyond marketing and sustainability departments, including legal, financial reporting, and internal audit functions.
Comparatively, in the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed rules that focus primarily on climate-related disclosures, requiring companies to report on their greenhouse gas emissions and how climate change impacts their business strategies and risk management. While the SEC’s approach currently emphasizes climate-related information, it signals a growing recognition of the importance of ESG factors in corporate governance and risk assessment. The divergence in ESG reporting standards between regions, such as the EU’s comprehensive CSRD and the US SEC’s climate-focused proposals, presents challenges for multinational corporations, which must navigate varying requirements while striving to meet stakeholder expectations for transparency and accountability in their global operations.
That shift is part of a larger dialogue between companies and their stakeholders, with the digital age facilitating an unprecedented level of scrutiny and engagement. ESG reports on their own – in terms of design processes and creation – have already existing tools that help to gather, summarize, and visualize data input but with limited options to brand it.
Best practices in Annual, Sustainability and ESG reports design
General insights:
⁃ PDF are always available to download. This is a requirement in most cases.
⁃ There are 3 basic types of report’s landing pages (see sections below:)
- Full content is presented both online and in PDF
- Landing page reflects PDF structure, but the content is hidden/to download
- Landing page is just an executive summary.
- Option 2 seems to be the most interesting for two reasons
a) managing the content, also from a timeline perspective
b) purpose – full PDF is for users deeply involved in a topic, web page is easier to digest (contains only the most important information)
⁃ Potential risk in the process – both PDF and online versions should be prepared and launched at the same time. That means content should be ready earlier.
Category 1 Landing Page=PDF. Both versions present the same full content.
https://report.adidas-group.com/2020/en/
General structure
Full content is available both on a LP and in PDF.
Functionalities
⁃ Very easy navigation between sections (go to next; breadcrumbs; hyperlinks).
⁃ In addition to financial statements, they also provide a chart generator.
⁃ Additional Dashboard page with interactive charts.
⁃ “Share” options (social media, email) available in every chapter.
Usability and accessibility
At the first sight, page applies accesibility guidelines, e.g. sufficient contrast, distinguishable links; focus states, keyboard operability.
Visual / design
⁃ A lot of interactivities, smooth transitions.
⁃ Interesting data visualizations.
PDF-related comments
PDF to download is interactive.
https://www.nestle.com/investors/annual-report
General structure
- Full report in LP form. However, the order is slightly different than in the PDF.
- LP presents more strategic data rather than financial details (they are available to download).
Functionalities
- Very easy navigation between sections (go to next; breadcrumbs; hyperlinks) and easy access to other documents, linked at the bottom of the page.
- “Share” options (social media, email) are available in every chapter.
- Available switch between light and dark mode.
Usability and accesibility
At the first sight, page applies accesibility guidelines, e.g. sufficient contrast, distinguishable links, visible focus states, keyboard operability.
Visual / design
- Data (highlighted numbers, charts) become animated on the LP.
- A lot of content is hidden inside accordions –> easier scannability of the page.
PDF-related comments
- PDF to download is interactive.
- There are 3 separate PDFs to download (shared value highlights, corporate governance, financial statements).
https://peab.inpublix.com/2020/en/
General structure
⁃ LP is a default form of the report; PDF to download is hidden in a menu.
⁃ It seems like full content is available both on a LP and in PDF.
Functionalities
⁃ Easy navigation within a page.
⁃ Possibility to read the report page by page.
Usability and accesibility
At the first sight, page doesn’t meet accesibility, e.g. focus states, keyboard operability, text recognition.
https://www.pginvestor.com/financial-reporting/annual-reports/default.aspx
General structure
⁃ Two equally important actions at the beginning: interactive version (online) or PDF.
⁃ Proxy statement and other documents are available separately at this level.
⁃ It seems like full content is available both on a LP and in PDF.
Functionalities
Navigation within the page is relatively easy (go to previous/next).
Usability and accesibility
At the first sight, LP meets some accesibilityy standards, e.g. efficient contrast and focus states. However, user cannot fully control some of the page behaviors. Some content is not accessible.
Visual / design
There are some interactivities and animations on the page; however, the layout itself is hard to read.
PDF-related comments
⁃ PDF to download is not fully interactive.
https://www.jpmorganchase.com/ir/annual-report
General structure
⁃ Three equally important actions at the beginning: online version, PDF (full or chapters), audio version
⁃ Proxy statement and other documents are available separately at this level.
⁃ It seems like full content is available both on a LP and in PDF.
Functionalities
⁃ LP is very easy to navigate. User sees an indication of the active chapter.
⁃ “Share” options (social media, mail) are available.
Usability and accesibility
⁃ Audio form – very interesting solution from a11y perspective.
⁃ At the first sight, LP meets some a11y standards, e.g. efficient contrast and focus states. Some content (e.g. tables) seems to be not fully accessible.
Visual / design
Lack of visuals (apart from charts) in both LP and PDF.
PDF-related comments
⁃ PDF to download is not interactive.
⁃ It is possible to download full PDF or only one chapter.
Category 2. LP sections = PDF chapters. Sections on the page = chapters in the PDF. Content might be hidden, rewritten, available to download in parts.
https://www.un.org/en/annualreport
General structure
- LP reflects structure & order of the PDF.
- Chapters are summarized in a nutshell; full text version is available in PDF.
Functionalities
- “Share” (social media, email) options available.
- 6 language versions of LP & PDF are available.
- Version to download is available as: PDF, epub, easy-to-read PDF
Usability and accesibilityy
- At the first sight, LP is well-prepared from a11y perspective. Contrast is enough, focus states are defined, which allows easier keyboard operability.
- Report is also available in easy-to-read form (short PDF, plain language, content reduced to absolute minimum).
Visual / design
- LP is mostly static, contains plain text & images. There are no interactive infographics etc.
- PDF contains much more infographics and visuals.
PDF-related comments
- PDF to download is interactive.
- It is possible to download full PDF or only one chapter.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/annual-report#anchor-annual
General structure
⁃ LP is like table of content. However, sections are merged here and their order is slightly different (in comparison to PDF).
⁃ Some content is missing on LP (e.g. in Regional Engagements sections – it is just an executive summary).
Functionalities
⁃ Interesting section with Spotlight Stories.
⁃ Relatively easy navigation between sections (local navigation, hyperlinks), but there is no clear option to go to the next section.
⁃ “Share” (social media, email) & print options available in every chapter.
Visual / design
LP is definitely less visual than PDF. Images are used rarely.
PDF-related comments
⁃ PDF to download is not fully interactive (missing hyperlinks).
General structure
- In general, LP reflects structure & order of the PDF.
- Clicking on “Read more” redirects to subpage with full text (e.g. stakeholders letter – just an article), or to a PDF with specific chapter, when the content is more complex (with infographics, tables).
- Detailed financial data are not included in LP.
Functionalities
- Easy to scan: navigation between sections (go to next; breadcrumbs; hyperlinks) + easy access to other documents, e.g. financial reporting at the bottom.
- “Share” (social media, email) & print options available in every chapter.
Usability and a11y
Parallaxes are used frequently – not the best solution from accesibility perspective.
PDF-related comments
- PDF to download is interactive.
- It is possible to download full PDF or only one chapter.
Category 3. LP= executive summary. Page is a summary for investors. This is an extract from information included in PDF.
https://www.huawei.com/en/annual-report
General structure
⁃ Two equally important actions at the beginning: online version or PDF (2022 edition is the first available in two forms).
⁃ Online version is just a short extract from the report: just few quotes, the most important data, key actions regarding business and strategy.
Functionalities
⁃ Very easy navigation – short content, additionally collapsed inside accordions.
⁃ Additional highlights video & conference recording available in the header.
Usability and accesibility
Videos in the header – not accessible (no captions); there are no focus states on the page, which makes it hard to operate for people with disabilities.
Visual / design
⁃ Clean and easily understandable structure.
⁃ Visually, LP and PDF are complementary – both with few visuals, very clean and data-focused.
https://www.astrazeneca.com/investor-relations/annual-reports.html
General structure
- Two equally important actions at the beginning: online version or PDF (2022 edition is the first available in two forms).
- Online version is just a short extract from the report: just few quotes, the most important data, key actions regarding business and strategy.
Functionalities
Easy navigation across LP – local navigation, anchors.
Usability and a11y
Parallaxes are used frequently – not the best solution from a11y perspective.
Visual / design
Content on LP is presented in much simpler and clearer way than in the PDF.
PDF-related comments
- It is possible to download one chapter of the report from the LP level (e.g. CEO quote –> CTA to download a full letter).
- PDF to download is not fully interactive (e.g. missing hyperlinks).
https://www.bmwgroup.com/en/report/2021/index.html
General structure
⁃ Online version is an extract from text-heavy PDF.
⁃ Some elements appear only in PDF.
Visual / design
⁃ A lot of interactivities, animation, immersion.
⁃ Interactive data visualization.
⁃ On a general level, LP and PDF are visually aligned – however, PDF is very text-heavy.
PDF-related comments
PDF to download is interactive.
https://www.burberryplc.com/investors/annual-report-22-23
General structure
⁃ Chapters are summarized in a nutshell; full version is available in PDF.
⁃ Our Impact is a prominent part of the LP. These sections are also available in PDF version, but in mor technical and data-focused way.
Usability and accesibility
At the first sight, LP meets some a11y standards, e.g. efficient contrast and focus states. However, user cannot fully control the page behavior.
Visual / design
Much more visually engaging than the others: videos, interactive infographics, parallaxes.
PDF-related comments
⁃ PDF to download is not fully interactive (missing hyperlinks)
⁃ It is possible to download full PDF or only one chapter.
https://www.spglobal.com/en/annual-reports/2022/
General structure
⁃ Two equally important actions at the beginning: choose between interactive version (online) or PDF.
⁃ PDF version contains chairmans’ letters and mostly financial data. Other information – strategy, impact, etc. – is presented on LP.
Functionalities
There is internal page navigation, but some of the elements (e.g. product showcases, board of directors) link to other subpages, so user can leave annual report LP very easily.
Usability and accessibility
At the first sight, LP meets some a11y standards, e.g. efficient contrast and focus states. However, user cannot fully control some of the page behaviors.
Visual / design
Sections on the page are clear; LP is much more visual than a PDF.
General structure
⁃ LP doesn’t reflect a PDF structure. Full version to download is very long and text-heavy.
⁃ LP is focused on highlights and case studies.
Functionalities
Page navigation is not easy – some key elements (e.g. business model) link to other BP subpages, so user can leave annual report LP very easily.
Usability and accessibility
Page and content is not accessible.
Visual / design
Visually, LP is aligned to other BP pages.
PDF-related comments
PDF to download is not interactive (missing hyperlinks). This document is very complex (>400 pages).
Summary
As a B-Corp-certified agency, we bring deep insight and a strong commitment to the accurate and engaging presentation of non-financial indicators. Our expertise in this area is further enhanced by our experience in designing annual reports and combining different types of reports. This becomes an additional practice to already existing processes of Annual Reports and Sustainability Reports. As a result, a lot of companies that had those three reports as part of their yearly cycles – are looking for ways to make that initiative more effective and impactful. Hence the popularity of combining financial and ESG directives results in the form of Integrated Report. In 2023 Admind had the pleasure of collaborating on the Integrated report with Deloitte for our common client ABB. Till then we have been working on over 20 Annual and Sustainability reports designing both digital and printed versions. Learn more on our dedicated ESG Reports website.
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