How to create world class navigation and flow to your annual report?

Stora Enso’s Sustainability Report was ranked among the global top ten reports of 2018 by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The Stora Enso report, designed by Miltton, was listed as best practice for navigation and flow.

The Art Director behind the report is Stina Salin, who has extensive experience in annual report design.

Stina has been designing annual reports for Stora Enso since 2015. Their 2018 Annual Report was also one of the panelists’ favourites in Report Watch’s annual reports rating. Miltton has been Stora Enso’s annual report partner for over a decade.

The Stora Enso Sustainability Report received compliments from WBCSD for its clear outline with a color-coded interactive navigation bar and direct links to other reports in the Stora Enso 2018 Annual Report suite. According to the WBCSD, the topic cover pages and section headers make it easy to find information and the report provides a concise overview over of KPIs and targets.

Stina, how does it feel to get this great feedback on your work?

Firstly, I’m proud that our customer has succeeded because that is naturally the main goal of our work. In addition to that, I’m happy that the visuality has been noticed since design is integrated into almost everything we do at Miltton. Visual communication is an important part of all communication.

How did you come up with the acclaimed report outline and navigation?

I have been designing annual reports for Stora Enso since 2015 and during that time they have come in different shapes and forms. In 2018 we transformed the whole annual report into an interactive PDF. Instead of making a product that works only online, the report was made with a layout that combines elements from both web and print. That makes it cohesive and still very printer friendly. In the A4 print version there is no navigation since it’s not needed.

The structure was made in collaboration with the customer. The main idea in the structure and navigation was to offer readers the information they want instead of confusing them with excess data. The Stora Enso report family includes several products and sections and we wanted to have a clear navigation inside and between all parts.

What are the most important things to consider when designing a good report?

Often the groundwork is the most important thing when you’re making a vast product like this: good background data, good copy texts, good design, good project management etc. If you don’t do those well from the beginning, you spend a lot of time correcting things. And when the process goes smoothly, you can focus on the most important things that you want to say both visually and verbally.

I would also like to emphasise that making an annual report is definitely a team effort. In this case we have been especially blessed because Stora Enso as a customer is highly ambitious.

What do you yourself think about the Stora Enso Sustainability Report?

The best part is the content. Stora Enso has a sustainability agenda which is easy to grasp, and they present their sustainability actions clearly.

Check out the acclaimed Stora Enso 2018 Annual Report here.

Stina Salin is a designer passionate about functional and strong communication with a creative twist.