Annual report design for Australian organisations

Annual report design with us costs $175 + GST an hour, quoted in hours before work starts. As an estimate, a 16 to 32 page report with final text supplied usually takes 20 to 40 hours, so about $3,500 to $7,000 + GST. More pages, more charts or late changes to the financials raise it. Reusing last year's layout lowers it.

It depends on the page count and how fast proofs come back, so we set the dates with you when you approve the quote. The layout itself moves quickly. The waiting is usually for audited figures, board comments and each proof round. Tell us your AGM date on the discovery call, and we'll plan backwards from it with room for a late financial change.

Start with the readers and a page plan, not the cover. List who reads the report (board, funders, members, a regulator) and what each one needs. Give every section a page count, then lock the text. Design a cover and two sample spreads, apply that look to every page, and finish with a print PDF and a lighter digital version.

A good annual report puts the year's main result on the first spread and makes every number easy to check. Open with a one-page summary of highlights. Use one chart style throughout and label each chart in plain words. Keep audited figures exactly as signed, and use real photos from your year rather than stock images.

We need final, approved text for each section and the audited financial statements. Add your logo files, brand colours, fonts and the photos you want used, plus last year's report if you have one. Text that changes after layout starts adds hours, so it pays to get board approval on the words before a designer opens the annual report file.

Yes, as a separate quote. Most organisations write their own report and we design from their text. If you'd like help, our copywriters can edit drafts, write the chair's message from a short interview, or tighten your program stories. That writing is quoted in hours too, so you see the cost before anyone starts.

No, we design and supply the files, and you choose the printer. The print PDF is set up with bleed, crop marks and the colour settings your printer asks for. If you're unsure which paper or binding suits your page count, we'll talk it through so you can ask your printer for an accurate quote.

Yes. As a report design agency we also lay out strategic plans, impact reports, funding submissions and capability statements. We created report layouts for the Far West Joint Organisation and a funding pitch document for Mallee's Living Histories. When you compare any report design company, ask to see a long, number-heavy layout it has done.

Often, but not always. A small club or community group with an 8-page report can do well with a clean template. If a template will do the job, we'll tell you before we quote, and we can build one in Canva (from $800 + GST). A designer saves the most time on longer reports with financials, charts and several audiences.