KDB Daewoo Securities has chosen an innovative, dual-sided structure for its 2015 report. Visually, the main sustainability report and the magazine section are reverse oriented, each visually distinctive, while transparently revealing a plethora of information about the company. The magazine section has a glossy finish while the rest of the report uses a thin matte paper of velvety texture.
The design philosophy is in keeping with the line of business. The main report uses a sober colour palette – blues, greys and blacks. One side of the report has a simple, white cover with ‘THINK’ in spot varnished sans serifs. The other side displays a full bleed image of ocean and sky. Connectivity is seen between both covers through the type treatment – ‘THINK’ seems to have been cut out of the image and placed on the white cover, leaving behind a white space to form the word once again.
It uses negative space well, providing relief to the eye while simple infographics are appropriately used to present data about stakeholder groups. Risk management has an intriguing visual representation in the form of Newton’s Cradle. The company’s increasing concern with multiculturalism and support for multi-cultural families is brought out by a globe cupped in a female hand.
The magazine section is colourful. TONYMOLY, a cosmetic brand whose IPO was handled by Daewoo Securities, is prominently featured in the first few pages. The text about TONYMOLY is arranged in a word cloud resembling a light bulb and a similar arrangement is used later in the report.
This places emphasis on the images, causing their colour to leap off the page. Page numbering forms a subtle connection between the two sections of the report and both sections, each with its own strengths, form an interesting whole.
