The Darktrace 2022 Annual Report is a glossy design document, containing the companies annual report and financial statements, for the 2021 - 2022 financial year. The 2022 Annual Report was the first major document produced after Darktrace’s rebrand and repositioning earlier in the year. The layout and design features of the 2022 Annual Report became the building blocks for all digital and print based collateral moving forwards.
The layout of the document needed to be dynamic, pulling double duty as a physical and digital document. Elements of the document were tailored to work around the physical limitations of print. The document was designed to work as double page spreads with a conservative margin in the centre, which was optimised for minimal data loss on the print version central pinch. The page layout of the document operated on a 3 to 4 column grid. This allowed elements to flow without breaking the structure of the document. Tables were designed to be easily broken across multiple pages if need be, this was heavily utilised in the ‘Financial Statements’ section of the report.
A feature three page pullout spread was included in the ‘Innovations’ section. This feature spread was designed to advertise Darktrace’s repositioned technology structure, and to be used as a teaching element to potential investors.
The design for the tables used in the ‘Financial Statements’ of the report were developed from the 2021 Annual Report, allowing for tighter spacing, and cut down table design to enable easer viewing.
Section tracking and document page numbers were set up with automated styles to allow for an easier more accurate document construction. These elements were located in the top right of each spread, to allow more space for internal document elements.
Interactivity was utilised across the document for quick navigation, and to aid the reader with referencing where policies were mentioned. These elements were hyperlinked within the digital version and would take the reader directly to the relevant section, while in the print version they were highlighted to increase visibility for cross checking.
New brand ‘Flow” elements were created and tested with in the Annual Report, to help fill negative space, but also create a cohesive tie between document pages and elements.