Reuters report by CGI comes out top in survey

Reuters has come top of an annual report survey, achieving the highest points for design and layout. Its Internet-style report (pictured) was designed by CGI, and is the consultancy’s ninth consecutive report for Reuters.

The Company Report report, issued by Peter Prowse Associates, surveyed those annual reports of the Continent’s top 100 companies which had been published by the end of June. Pauffley leads the pack, having designed reports for six out of the 100 companies listed by the survey.

L’Oréal, whose report was designed by Carré Noir, came third in the best cover category, after Reuters and Carrefour.

Best use of photographs went jointly to Williams & Phoa for BSkyB and Holmes & Marchant Corporate Design, followed by Tor Pettersen & Partners for Tesco.

“Design in annual reports changes very little, it’s a very conservative area,” says the report’s author Peter Clifton.

However, Clifton says design is improving, particularly in Southern European and Dutch companies, and “the best reports are magazine style”, he adds. He criticises designers for putting copy over colour. “That can be quite wicked to read,” he says.