Just-A-Start Annual Report
We had the pleasure of working with the Cambridge-based organization Just-A-Start on their 2019 annual report. Last year was their 50th anniversary so they wanted to include content related to their history and legacy of their impact over 50 years as well as the typical annual report materials.
Spread featuring a ‘birds-eye-view’ visual organizer of the JAS programs
Spread featuring the same icons with deep-dive information on the programs
Color and icon organizational system
Using draft content from their communications manager, we developed a content structure and organization system for the report that balanced present day happenings and programs with the more history-focussed features. We developed a color coding system to identify the two types of programs they run (affordable housing, and career training) and designed icons for each program within those categories. That color/icon system runs through the entire report, as well as additional collateral like email newsletters.
One thing we try to do in longer reports is feature a ‘birds-eye-view’ visual organizer of the content, and connect it visually to other parts of the report that provide a deeper dive into the content—allowing readers will have a sense of how what they are reading fits into the big picture. For example, on the top image here, you can see that there are 8 housing programs (purple) and 4 career programs (green) and so when you are looking through the following spreads, such as the bottom image here, you’ll know that these are 5 of 8 of the housing programs, and that housing is one of two categories of programs offered. We believe that it’s important to give readers tools like this to navigate a document as easily as possible.
50th anniversary timeline
In order to highlight the 50th anniversary, we designed a fold-out timeline section that indicates (using the same color-coding system) when each program was added to their program, and major milestones. We also juxtaposed historical and present day photos to show how some things have changed but some things stay the same.
