C-TRAN - Annual Report
Target Audience: The C-TRAN annual report has three distinct audiences: transit customers; agency stakeholders (politicians, business owners, other government agencies); and the Clark County taxpayers who may not ride our buses but help fund our services. The report, therefore, needs to provide information – and prove engaging – to each.
Strategy Objective:C-TRAN's graphic designer took a whimsical approach to our 2019 report, released in January 2020. The report takes its inspiration from the black-and-white composition books that many of us used in school. The report is an exact replica of the recognizable book, with the C-TRAN logo and agency contact information added to the front and back covers. Each of the nine featured topics – including an introductory letter from the CEO and the Board chair – has its own page, with 100 to 250 words of narrative and corresponding art elements. The illustrations that accompany each topic - faded color photographs "taped" to the pages, which give the appearance of vintage photo albums, and watercolor images that remind the reader of artworks created with dime-store paint sets – add to the charm.
Situation Challenge: C-TRAN's annual report is published in January and serves as a review of the previous year's initiatives and significant events. It also paints a picture of the overall "health" of the agency, covering topics such as budget and major projects. Every year, our marketing team sets out to make the annual report fresh and inventive. In 2020, we had the added challenge of reaching our intended audiences in the midst of the pandemic, when most of the year's community events where we would distribute copies were canceled.
Results Impact: C-TRAN printed 500 copies of the report, which staff normally distribute at public outreach events, monthly board meetings and our "bus booth" at the Clark County Fair. The pandemic obviously limited us to more traditional distribution methods such as direct mail. A digital version was also published on the C-TRAN website and shared widely on social media. Both were well received by the public and our stakeholders, bolstering C-TRAN's reputation as an active, committed and engaged member of our community and each of the individual jurisdictions we serve.
Why Submit: C-TRAN is submitting our annual report because we feel it is important to always look for new ways to present pro forma documents. This novel way of telling our agency's story is worthy of an AdWheel Award because it is anything but dry or formulaic.