Comprehensive guide to creating annual business reports

Creating an annual business report can be a challenging task, especially because it requires you to gather and analyze data in a timely and accurate manner. One of the biggest challenges in creating an annual business report is presenting the information in a clear and concise manner that can be understood by stakeholders with different levels of financial knowledge. If you want to present information in an effective manner, make sure to follow the best annual report design practices we list in this article. Also, discover great annual business report templates at the end of the article that you can reuse to create your own. 

Click to jump ahead:
What is a business annual report?
Best practices for creating an annual business report
Key elements of an effective annual business report
Annual business report templates
Conclusion

What is a business annual report?

Before we jump to the annual report design tips and examples, let’s define what the business annual report stands for. 

An annual business report is a comprehensive document that provides an overview of a company’s performance and operations over the past year. It’s typically prepared for shareholders, stakeholders, and other interested parties. It’s designed to communicate important information about the company’s financial and operational performance.

The purpose of the report is to effectively communicate and highlight key business areas, helping with further decision-making processes. The annual business report design plays a crucial role in how information is presented and received by others. That’s why it should never be an afterthought. 

Best practices for creating an annual business report

Annual business reports are a crucial tool for any company to assess its performance and plan for the future. They provide a snapshot of the company’s financial and operational health and are often used to communicate this information to stakeholders such as shareholders, customers, and employees. Here are five best practices to follow when creating your annual business report:

Use clear language & typography

Annual business reports should be easy to understand for all stakeholders, including those who may not have a background in finance or business. Avoid using jargon or technical terms, and make sure to clearly explain any financial metrics or ratios used in the report. 

At the same time, pay attention to the font style, size, and color choice. You want the text to be easily readable without any unnecessary clutter that may disrupt the view. Use a simple font style and avoid using similar text and background color.

Include key financial information

Financial information is the backbone of any annual business report. Make sure to include key financial statements such as the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement. Also, include any other financial information that’s relevant to the company’s performance, such as revenue and profit margins.

On Infogram, you can find a good selection of financial dashboards that can complement your annual business report. The Q1 report dashboard is a great example of a clean and simple financial report.

Provide context and analysis

Simply providing financial information isn’t enough. It’s important to provide context and analysis to help stakeholders understand the significance of the information presented. For example, if revenues have decreased, provide an explanation for why this has occurred and what actions the company plans to take to address the issue.

When providing additional context, pay attention to the text and data placement. Place your explanation right next to the data to avoid confusion.

Use visuals

Data visualizations, such as charts and graphs, can make it easier for stakeholders to understand and interpret the information in the report. Use them to highlight key trends and patterns in the data. On Infogram, you can find a wide selection of different types of data visualizations, like interactive maps, charts, and more. Also, you can browse Infogram’s library of images, videos, icons, shapes, and more to add another layer of context. With interactive charts and maps as well as other visuals, you’ll communicate business insights in a more engaging way. 

Be transparent and honest

Annual business reports should be transparent and honest. If the company has faced any challenges or setbacks, acknowledge them in the report and provide an explanation of how they were addressed or will be addressed in the future. 

By following the best practices we listed above, your annual business report will be easy to read and understand. It’ll also offer an engaging data discovery process for those who’ll be viewing the report online.

Key elements of an effective annual business report

1. Clear overview

One of the key elements of an effective annual business report is a clear and concise overview of the company’s financial performance. This should include information on revenue, profits, and other key financial metrics. Also, it showcases a breakdown of the company’s expenses and investments and more. 

All of these insights need to be clearly presented in a logical layout. Place your insights intentionally and make sure to highlight the most important numbers. Use visual hierarchy principles and spotlight essential insights with contrasting colors, font size, and other elements. 

2. Consistency

Consistency is an important principle in annual business report design as it helps to create a cohesive and professional document. A consistent design, including similar font, color scheme, and layout, improves readability and understanding by providing a sense of continuity throughout the report. Additionally, consistency in the use of visual elements such as charts, graphs, and images helps to create a visually appealing report that’s easy to read and understand.

Consistency also helps to maintain the company’s brand and image. It ensures that the report aligns with the company’s style guide and visual identity. This is important as the report is often a key tool for communicating with stakeholders and building trust with investors and partners. Helping to convey a sense of professionalism, and consistency in the report design also adds to the perception of reliability and credibility.

3. High-quality visuals

In order to make an annual business report as effective as possible, it’s important to include high-quality graphics, charts, and other visual aids that help to convey key information in an easy-to-understand format. If you’re struggling to find high-quality visuals to use in your annual business report, choose from a great selection of images, icons, data visualizations, and other visuals in Infogram’s library. You can choose to edit and customize your data visualizations, images, and icons to match your needs (e.g. change color, remove background for images, edit chart properties, etc.). 

4. Branding

Branding is a highly important element in the annual business report. The report should reflect the company’s brand and identity by incorporating the company’s logo, colors, and visual elements throughout the document. This helps to create a sense of continuity between the report and the company’s other communications and marketing materials.

Incorporating branding elements into the report design also helps to create a sense of professionalism and credibility. A well-branded report can convey a sense of trustworthiness and reliability to stakeholders. This is especially important when communicating financial and operational information.

5. Accessibility

When creating an annual business report, you should always consider accessibility. Accessibility plays a crucial role in annual business report design as it ensures that the report can be read and understood by all stakeholders, including those with disabilities or who may have difficulty reading small text or complex charts.

To make the report accessible, use clear and simple language, and present information in a way that’s easy to understand. This includes using headings and subheadings, bullet points, and clear visual elements such as charts, graphs, and images. Additionally, it’s important to pay attention to the font size, color contrast, and other design elements to ensure that the report is legible and easy to read.

Moreover, providing an alternative format such as audio or braille can be helpful for those with visual impairments. Providing an electronic version of the report with accessible features such as screen readers and keyboard navigation can also make the report more accessible for people with disabilities.

Annual business report templates

Creating an annual business report from scratch is a challenging task. It’s much easier to start with a template that inspires you to create your own design. Discover 4 annual business report examples that you can use as starting points when creating your own. If you’re interested in exploring other, similar templates, head to Infogram’s template library.

An annual business report template in red

If you’re looking for a clean and professional-looking annual business report, this is a great option. The report scores in visual appeal thanks to engaging data visualizations, matching color schemes, and visually rich content. 

What’s important to note is the cover page design – it aligns with the overall theme of the report. The first page is responsible for introducing the theme of the report. Therefore, pay extra attention to your cover design and make sure to incorporate business brand elements.  

An annual business report template in blue

The annual business report template is great for showcasing data-centric information. The report is enriched with bar, line, pie charts, tables, and more. The interactive data visualizations allow the viewer to discover more insights by hovering over and clicking on data points in the charts. Also, the overall design of the report is clean, simple, and visually appealing with a harmonious color palette.  

An annual business report template in black 

Another great business report example that scores in minimalistic yet visually rich design. The data-centric information is balanced with textual blocks, making the report easy to read. This template is perfect to use for an annual or another type of business report. Simply add or remove design elements and customize the visual and textual content.

Business report template 

If you’re looking to create a different type of business report, this template is great for showcasing various types of data for a competitor or market analysis that you can also use as a knowledge base for your annual report. 

The clean design is easy on the eyes and highlights the most important insights with contrasting colors. Also, it scores in design consistency and offers a visually appealing layout that’s easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Design is an essential aspect of annual business reports as it not only makes the document visually appealing but also helps to effectively communicate key information to readers. By using design elements such as color, typography, and imagery, a report can be made more engaging and easily digestible for the reader. With the use of the best practices and other tips we uncovered in this article, you’ll be equipped to create an engaging and effective annual report. Also, use a pre-designed template to save time and make the annual report creation process much easier. 

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