From the start, Raiffeisen Zentralbank (RZB) Group’s 2006 Annual Report wears its heart on its sleeve, quite literally. Presented in the style of a coffee table book, the inner flap of the dust jacket expresses the intentions of the report’s design to not just report on events in the past year, but to also inspire readers with a “culinary tour of the highlights of Central and Eastern European cuisine.”
The book itself, with dimensions of 21.5×29 cms, is a hardcover book wrapped in a simple blue fabric.
Pages 1 to 47 cover the various culinary highlights of each Eastern European country that the RZB Group operates in. Printed on glossy paper, the visually arresting food photography is the focus, usually spanning over the two pages devoted to each nation and accompanied by a lengthy write-up on the background of each dish. A preface to this section mentions that the recipes for the included dishes can be accessed on the website for the Group’s annual report (currently defunct).
Pages 49 to 237 serve as the actual annual report, printed on uncoated paper. The report takes on a very straightforward approach with regards to content, with a heavy reliance on text and graphs. In contrast to the opening culinary highlights pages, photos are kept to a bare minimum in the report.
In practice, the two sections of the report are quite distinct and are not linked together by any specific theme as such.
However, there is no connection to the Group’s operations, history, or strategy in each of those countries. Interestingly, a few of the dishes (pickled cucumber, sour pots, vodka, caviar) aren’t specifically tied to any country, but are included because of their cultural significance to the region.
Ultimately, the RZB Group Annual Report 2006 has an intriguing design and an appearance quite unlike any regular annual report. Readers, however, are offered a very standard reading experience once they move past the culinary highlights.
