The main line of work for the Cognex Corporation is building machine vision systems – software and hardware systems that allow machines to detect errors, inspect parts and guide robots in large manufacturing operations. You might expect a serious, formal report from a company like this but this is not how Cognex chooses to present its 2017 annual report.
As a way of introducing readers to their products, Cognex asks for your name, gender and which of the two branches of its products (vision or ID products) you are attracted by, before ‘matching’ you with a showcase of its products. The animation on the site is evenly paced and friendly. The colour palette and photographs are warm and the whole site has its tongue firmly in its cheek.
The chairman’s statement takes the form of a casual interview, again with a dating app’s ethos in mind. It is brief and easy to read – not an approach often found in chairmen’s statements. This tone of voice is coupled with a playful approach to corporate portraiture. Digitally edited and heavily processed, the images are not pretending to be realistic portrayals and as result you get delightfully askew images of the chairman floating while doing yoga or fondly kissing a pet monkey.
The financials appear on their own page, for ease of navigation and are presented simply and clearly. This report is a welcome change of pace and will hopefully provide an example of what a company can achieve if it has the confidence in itself to play with expectations.
