3 Annual Report Design Trends for 2023 That You’ll Definitely Need

Jan 20, 2023

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So much about Annual Report design has changed since its inception. In previous years, no one put any emphasis on aesthetics or design. Those concerned with creating reports would simply collect information, put all of it into a basic template or book format and give it to certain individuals in the company. These reports were completely bland, boring, and not inspiring in any form. However, things are quite different today. Companies must ensure that everything they do stands out and has a positive impact on their audiences. You can’t expect to simply present facts and financial figures and have it be enough. You have to sit down and design and structure your Annual Report carefully while ensuring that the information is entirely relevant and effective. Keeping this in mind, let’s check out 3 Annual Report design trends for 2023 which are sure to be important.

3 Amazing Annual Report Design Trends for 2023 

An Annual Report is a big deal for every company, no matter its size. Especially since it's the means by which all of them showcase their successes and even their work culture. Not just that, this report plays a massive role in marketing and promoting the company to the public. Especially where there’s the intent to invite more people to fund or invest in the company. This is why you should make a careful note of the following 3 Annual Report design trends for 2023. Going forward, if you have the experience, you can incorporate them into all your report designs. Alternatively, if you still need assistance, there’s always a specialized report design agency, such as Report Yak.

Design Trend 1 - Colors get Bolder and Brighter

Using color schemes in report design is not exactly a new trend. In fact, most companies typically use muted color palettes and tones in their report design. In previous years, Annual Reports were designed without any real thought towards design. However, things have turned around this year. As far as Annual Report design trends for 2023 go, the new go-to choice is quickly becoming bold and bright colors. Especially since the whole idea is to breathe life into your Annual Report and make it stand out.

The Pantone Color of the Year for 2023 is Magenta which is absolutely gorgeous. It’s quite an unusual color and not one that’s easily found in company branding. However, given its status for this year, report designers could look at incorporating it into their designs in some way or the other.

A bright and bold color palette has the power to do a number of important things. It can enhance your brand’s visual style, attract your target audience, and invite and inspire stakeholders to see what your company has done over the past year. Therefore it’s important to ensure that your Annual Report design is fantastic and also reflects your brand and the company’s energy.

For example, while it might be a risk, perhaps you could try to use a slightly different color shade in your brand colors. Use it to highlight crucial points and metrics which are necessary for wooing your target audience. Or if you want to avoid making it too obvious, change the background colors on your slides, just to make things different.

We’re just getting started with the Annual Report design trends for 2023. Therefore, you can be sure that going brighter and bolder is definitely going to make a splash!

Design Trend 2 - Infographics get more Importance

Annual Reports typically contain a ton of information. And when most of it is textual in nature, people quickly lose interest in reading. This was yet another problem that commonly occurred when companies first began releasing annual reports. However, as people have become more comfortable and experienced with graphic design and even report design, there’s been a complete change in how Annual Reports look and feel.

Today, most companies have turned to visual aids such as charts, graphs, diagrams, and even infographics to explain facts and figures in their Annual Reports. Infographics, in particular, are fast becoming the prime choice for presenting key points and metrics to target audiences. The reasons for this are that they are easy to create and understand and are much more visually attractive. Infographics also offer a quick but clear visual of how the company has performed over the last year. It cuts down on having to go through loads of information that’s both boring and overwhelming for the audience to grasp. As far as infographics go, we can confirm that they are one of those fantastic Annual Report design trends for 2023.

Design Trend 3 - Modern yet minimalistic designs will be popular

Messy and cluttered designs don’t win any favors with anyone. What you want is for your Annual Report or any report, really, to look clean, elegant, and professional. Therefore, we’d suggest going for modern minimalism when designing any kind of report this year. It’s one of those Annual Report design trends for 2023 that’s set to be a complete game changer. As far as minimalistic designs go, they allow you to take the information in Annual Reports and other reports properly, while you quietly appreciate their gorgeous simplicity.

Modern minimalistic designs typically use clean lines and layouts. This makes them aesthetically pleasing. When you use such designs in your Annual Reports and other reports, keep these 4 points in mind:

1. One idea per page is enough

If you try to put down too many ideas on one page, your message will be lost.

2. There’s absolutely no need to put down information in text form

Remember, you’re using minimalism which means less is more. In this case, all you need to give the audience is relevant information with key metrics.

3. Muted but clean and modern colors work best

We know we said that bright colors are in this year. However, if you’re going the modern minimalistic route with your design, avoid the bright colors. These will simply detract from the look and feel of your Annual Report.

4. Ensure you use modern icons and imagery

You want to illustrate your points clearly and still give your audience something pleasant to look at.

Modern minimalism will be a great way to keep your audience engaged and make sure your message is heard. So, if you’re looking to create an Annual Report with a modern minimalistic design, don’t forget to use these 4 tips. Your audience will thank you for it.

Incorporating Annual Report Design Trends for 2023

There are probably many other Annual Report design trends for 2023 that we might have missed in our search. However, our report design team felt that these 3 made the cut as they would work well with the kind of reports we design. If you want to know how we can incorporate these into your reports, reach out to our project managers through the Contact Us page on our website. If you would like to know about our services, visit the Report Yak website for these details.