BACKGROUND
National Geographic is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring, protecting, and sharing the wonders of our world through science, education, and storytelling. Their distinctive brand aesthetic emphasizes powerful imagery featuring human elements, living portraits, and negative space to create visually striking stories.
PROCESS
BRAND RESEARCH:
I began by researching National Geographic's brand style guide to help guide my design process for the annual report design. Understanding their mission and visual identity was crucial for maintaining brand consistency.
I organized my findings through mood boards and mind maps. This helped me identify key visual elements - particularly their use of striking photography, negative space, and human-centered storytelling - which became foundations for the report design.
IDEA AND CONCEPT BUILDING:
Inspired by National Geographic’s mission to "illuminate" the world’s wonders, I explored how these discoveries are made possible by explorers and their cameras. This led to the concept "A Year Through the Lens"—an annual report that not only highlights the wonders captured in 2024 but also celebrates the people behind them, reinforcing National Geographic’s commitment to exploration and storytelling.
RATIONALE:
The annual report's layouts and visual elements strictly followed National Geographic's brand guidelines while incorporating the "A Year Through the Lens" theme. I employed generous negative space throughout the spreads to create a spotlight effect, drawing focus to the content.
For the infographics, I integrated subtle camera-inspired design elements to maintain thematic consistency. These elements create the impression of viewing content through a camera lens, adding both visual interest and a human element to the contents of the annual report.
This annual report was designed to appeal to the National Geographic's key stakeholders - directors, investors, and donors. The camera motif serves as a powerful visual representation of the impact of the stakeholders' contributions to the organization and its mission. Through camera-inspired design elements, the design illustrates how every leadership decision, investment, and donation actively enables new discoveries and conservation efforts.
