Fine Print

Print Action, Aug 2004

Production: Moveable Inc.

Creative: Aegis

Project: The Thomson Corporation 2003 Annual Report, print and online versions

Client: The Thomson Corporation

The project

For the past three years Moveable has collaborated with Aegis, a respected Toronto-based design firm, to produce this multiple-award-winning annual report * Starting with the 2002 report, Thomson decided it also wanted an effective online version * Aàgis took on the design direction and Moveable handled all the programming work * For the 2003 report, the bar was raised again, with the client looking for a state-of-the-art online report that would take full advantage of the medium * Once again, the Aegis-Moveable collaboration went to work to produce http://ar.thomson.com

Securing the project

Moveable leverages its expertise in the annual report arena * It produces about 45 reports over the course of a year * About 20 per cent of its revenue comes directly from annual report work * Designers often discover Moveable through its annual report reputation, which then leads to other work * Aegis knew of Moveable for its detailed work in the print marketplace, handling page layout, typesetting, proofreading, copyediting and managing the completion of projects * Aegis brought Moveable in at the early stages of their discussions with Thomson, and Aegis and Moveable secured the project together

Producing the project

For the print report, Moveable was responsible for all the typography, image work and prepress * Quebecor World MIL handled the printing * For the online report, Moveable handled all programming, testing, quality assurance, and even interim hosting during the first two months following the live launch * Moveable used the same proofreaders for the online version as for the print version to ensure accuracy and consistency * The online version is enhanced by the use of Flash animation and includes more than 30 videos of management talking about Thomson's business philosophy

"It's easy to create a PDF of a printed report and post it on a client's Web site. But what's the point? No one is going to read a 90-page annual report online. They're better off requesting the printed version. The whole point of an online annual report is to take advantage of a powerful medium. Make it media-rich. Make it interactive. Present information to your stakeholders in an engaging and entertaining manner. In my opinion, an online annual report should not be viewed as an obligation but rather as a golden opportunity to communicate the strength of a company's brand and business philisophy to the investment community. Why squander that opportunity?"

Joe Kotler, President, Moveable Inc.