Ontario Excavac 2020 Sustainability report
A Holistic Approach to Sustainability
Ontario Excavac (OE) wanted their second sustainability report to demonstrate OE’s continued progress in protecting the environment. The report also needed to be fresh and positive particularly given the challenging context of operating during a COVID-19 pandemic. As an essential service provider, demonstrating the importance of socially responsible and sustainable industry leadership while keeping employees, customers, and communities safe and healthy during a pandemic was paramount.
A key intention of the 2020 Sustainability Report was to highlight the inextricable link between people, prosperity, and the planet. The holistic nature of this relationship was expertly captured by illustrator, Thom Sevalrud and was featured on the front cover. Thom created a vibrant, colourful illustration in a circular shape – the shape of planet earth - which visually conveyed OE’s sustainability priorities and common outdoor environmental interactions in people’s lives. The artwork’s colour scheme incorporated OE’s established brand colours combined with bright greens of environmentalism.
Working as a team, I crafted the story and David Thorne did the graphic design. The circular motif and details of the illustration were repeated inside the report to bring coherence to the overall design. We wanted the reader experience to be easy, so we used infographics and large statistics combined with short digestible articles and plenty of imagery.
A client-approved editorial outline and production schedule kept the project on track, delivering the report on time and on budget. The report was promoted to customers using social media, a customer e-blast, and on the company website.
“David and Yvette turn complex subject matter into visually interesting and easy-to-understand material. Together, they created a visually distinctive and original report detailing both the culture and strategic priorities of our company that should be an enjoyable read for our stakeholders.”
Barry Wood, President & CEO, Ontario Excavac
Although creating an annual report can seem like a daunting task for organizations, careful planning, a clear editorial outline, and excellent project management can make the process a seamless and satisfying experience for the company’s executive team.
Want to publish sustainability or a CSR report? Thornley Marketing Communications and Thorne Branding and Design can deliver cover to cover.