IBM 2000 Annual Report
Role — Design
Agency — VSA Partners
In 2000, the IT industry was going through a volatile and transformational year. IBM partnered with VSA to develop a story that only a company with the breadth, depth and technological presence only IBM could tell. Working closely with our clients, we developed a novel approach to the annual report that captured the spirit of the industry and one year in the life of a long-standing company that was leading the charge into the twenty-first century.
We crafted a colorful and engaging story that highlighted IBM employees who were facing a wide range of challenges, battles and successes. To connect the evolution of the business to the evolution of society, we framed IBM within a broader historical context. Simple, clean typography balanced with inspirational artwork to convey tradition and innovation. Each of the report’s five thematic chapters opened with hero imagery that was culturally significant and recognizable to amplify the metaphorical meaning and impact of its title and introductory text. All portraits were shot on film from below, so they appeared dramatic and the featured employees as heroic. Overall, the report’s tone embodied both stability and energy to express the dynamism of the world’s largest IT company.