IDÉES-AFRIQUE — Rapport d’Activités 2024
IDÉES-AFRIQUE is a Quebec-based institute studying the contemporary dynamics of the state and of societies in Africa.
I designed their 2024 annual report — fifty-three pages covering the director’s message, the four pillars of the year’s work and the results behind them. The challenge with a document this long is rhythm: an orange-and-cream system, generous margins and a consistent running header let a reader drop in at any page and still know where they are.
About the client
IDÉES-AFRIQUE (Institut d’études des dynamiques contemporaines de l’État et des sociétés en Afrique) is a Quebec-based institute that studies the state and societies in Africa and organises academic, social, economic and cultural activities between Africa and Canada, including the Festival de l’Afrique à Beauharnois. Its 2024 annual report presents a year of growth to members, partners and funders.
What I designed
- The full layout of the 53-page A4 report
- The cover, with a photo mosaic of the year’s activities
- A two-page table of contents organised by the institute’s pillars: cultural, social, economic and environmental
- The messages from the President and CEO and from the Vice-President, with portrait cut-outs
- The section pages, the two-column body text, the highlights and the conclusion
The design choices
A 53-page document is only useful if a reader can open it anywhere and know where they are. The answer is a strict system: the same two-column grid on every text page, a running footer with the section name and the page number, orange page-number tabs in the table of contents, and generous margins that keep long passages comfortable to read.
The cover sets the palette in a single image: black, white and orange, with orange squares and a duotone mosaic of photos from the year, from conferences to the festival poster. Inside, the orange returns in titles, rules and the shapes behind the portraits, and cream backgrounds soften the long reading sections.
Where it works
The report is designed to be read as a PDF by members, partners and institutions, as well as in print.
Need an annual report or a long document laid out? See my graphic design and layout service; I work remotely with clients in Canada.
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