Annual report – for Marie Curie
In 2023, we were asked by Marie Curie – our first ever client when we set up Artful Dog in 2013 – to produce its annual report.
Previously, the annual report had been written and designed in-house, with content generated by information emailed by various functions and then edited by copywriters. This year, Marie Curie produced the financial accounts section as usual, but for the up-front ‘review of the year’ section, the creative team wanted an external agency to conduct interviews (via videoconference) with function leaders to ensure the supplied information was more than a series of action points.
Together, we agreed the annual report needed to be more than a list of “things Marie Curie has done” over 12 months; it had to be clear why actions were taken and how they linked back to the charity’s overriding mission to improve care to everyone at the end of life and those close to them.
The extensive summaries for each function needed to let employees, stakeholders, supporters, donors and decision-makers understand why Marie Curie is investing in new initiatives to support people at end of life or their carers, technology upgrades, new roles, training opportunities and new recruiting practices: what difference are they making to the people they are trying to help. As an external writing team, via a series of interviews, we were able to dig deep and probe beyond facts and statistics.
In addition, this annual report was the first publication to be released in Marie Curie’s new brand, which was being finessed and finalised during the design process. Our creative directors worked hand in hand with Marie Curie’s creative team to bring the brand to life and resolve any issues that came to light as the brand was applied to an actual product.
Our initial discussions around the project came when the rebrand was at an early stage, and we submitted concepts – varying the focus on photography vs a graphical treatment. Ultimately, it was decided that, with people at the core of Marie Curie’s work, photography was essential – though we all liked the opportunities to pull out key data and information. We wanted the report to be an in-depth read, but we also acknowledged readers need to quickly digest key achievements.
Throughout, our design and editorial teams worked together with the charity’s creative team and key stakeholders to ensure the final annual report was the best product with which to launch the new brand.
