Northfield Annual Report

Client Northfield Foundation

Year 2023

Discipline Print, Motion

Annual report design for a $2B charitable foundation that told the truth about where the money went.

The Challenge

Most annual reports are exercises in making uncertainty look like certainty. Northfield wanted something different: a report that was honest about what worked, what didn't, and what they were still figuring out. Radical transparency in a format designed for opacity.

Our Approach

We designed the report around conflict and resolution — literal before/after spreads showing community states pre and post-funding. Typography communicates tone: bold facts in display type, honest qualifications in small print that isn't actually small.

The Outcome

The 2023 Annual Report won three design awards and was shared organically 4,200 times on social media — unprecedented for a foundation document. Major donor renewals increased 19% following its distribution.

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