EEI Corporation is a storied engineering and construction company, responsible for a major chunk of national infrastructure including power plants, refineries, mining facilities, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, seaports, and airports among others. A traditional company with a long and rich history, EEI wanted its annual report to communicate 2018’s performance in an engaging and contemporary way.
EEI’s achievements and reach are significant and wide-reaching. It is a rather “no-frills” company whose singular focus is world-class engineering and construction. Their stellar reputation means they spend little on marketing and branding, as clients and contracts naturally come to them. As such, their annual reports are typically standard fare; Brevo came on board to discover the personality in their personnel and bring that out in their 2018 report.
One key takeaway from EEI Chairman Roberto Castillo was that annual reports all follow a typical formula. How could we break that formula, play around with the content, and talk about initiatives like sustainability without devolving into obfuscatory corporatespeak?
To achieve this we pitched a magazine-style approach, with full-sized images, bold typography, and a less-stoic editorial approach. We presented their financial highlights in data visual form, to better capture shareholder attention. Our initial drafts of the content were more layman in style but we adjusted the prose to balance the tone between professional and casual. We arranged a photoshoot for management, held at their headquarters, and tried to find atypical backgrounds to make the imagery more dynamic.
We also trimmed out all the Financial Statements, resulting in a thinner report that cost less to produce and was easier to peruse.
