South African annual reports recognised at intl awards

Commenting on the Gold award, Attie van Zyl, CEO of Inca said, "Trying to project the seriousness of reporting financial results combined with a more individual style has always been our goal. The company developed a relationship with Studio 5 over 10 years ago and found that it understood what we were trying to do. We regard the 2009 Annual Report as one of our best reports. It conveyed exactly what was happening in our company, focusing on our key stakeholders. The report was transparent and informative, yet it had that individuality, which made our report stand out from the crowd."

"We are delighted that our annual report has been given this international recognition for design excellence, in addition to our past achievements for high standards of corporate reporting. The agency has always succeeded in successfully combining complex reporting issues with intelligent content design of our reports," added Christine Ramon, chief financial officer of Sasol.

Other awards

Other recent international recognition for Studio 5's clients included Sasol's 2009 annual report being ranked 14th best annual report in the world, and Sappi's 2009 report ranked 31st by e.com ReportWatch, the international rating agency, which applies a content-based approach to assess and compare annual reports from around the world.

"In an era of mistrust, a well designed and beautifully printed annual report is a powerful and effective ambassador for a company's brand, strategy and reputation. It shows respect for the reader and invites them to engage further with the company," said Andre Oberholzer, group head corporate affairs at Sappi.

Sam Moss, director: Investor Relations at FirstRand, commented, "We have a longstanding partnership with the agency and regard its design, particularly in the field of typography, as world class."

"Getting an annual report right, in design and content, especially given changing reporting requirements, is a real test of partnership between client and agency. We're proud that our clients are flying the flag for South Africa, as a developing country regarded internationally for its high standard of reporting excellence," concluded Glenn O'Hearne, strategy director at Studio 5.