Project overview

The Corporate Reporting Awards, established in 2023, represent a natural evolution from the previous year’s Strategic Comms Awards.

These awards serve as a testament to excellence in Corporate Reporting across industries. Each year, we celebrate remarkable achievements across various categories, including the best sustainability report, best impact report, and best utilisation of purpose as a business driver. These categories encompass every facet of corporate reporting, reflecting the evolving landscape of business transparency and accountability.

The awards ceremony marks a highlight in the industry’s calendar, offering a vibrant evening of celebration, complete with dinner, entertainment, and the much-anticipated presentation of awards.

The awards embrace the diverse spectrum of corporate reporting, transitioning from a depiction of financial performance to a comprehensive narrative that encapsulates a company’s societal role, environmental impact, and progress against non-financial metrics. Often supported by agency partners, these reports represent a collaborative effort to showcase meaningful progress and responsible business practices.

An esteemed panel of judges, representing various sectors within the industry, plays a pivotal role in ensuring a fair and impartial evaluation of entries. Upholding the highest standards, judges refrain from assessing submissions from colleagues or clients, ensuring objectivity and integrity in the selection process.

The Corporate Reporting Awards have welcomed a prestigious lineup of winners, including renowned organisations such as ITV, Marks & Spencer, Halfords, and The Crown Estate. These esteemed recipients, recognised for their outstanding contributions, enrich the legacy of achievements celebrated at this esteemed event.

The challenge

To create a distinctive and timeless brand that captures the essence of each annual awards event while maintaining recognisability. Second, to develop and manage a dynamic website and complementary social media assets. These assets serve to amplify engagement with Awards entries on the website and facilitate seamless ticketing for attendees of the event.

Client Requirements

To create a versatile and easily identifiable brand, complemented by a cohesive suite of design elements including website design, entry guides, social media templates, and HTML emails. These assets were to facilitate consistent communication of the Awards, particularly during key phases such as entry opening, closing dates, ticket promotion, and the acknowledgment of judges’ effectiveness.

Additionally, we developed an engaging awards ceremony presentation to showcase shortlisted and winning entries during the event itself.

a fish in sea collaborated closely with CorpComms on the Corporate Reporting Awards, building upon the design framework established for the previous Strategic Comms Awards. Given the dynamic nature of this sector, our approach emphasises the retention of familiar brand elements while infusing fresh energy and creativity into the concept and branding. This ensures that the Awards maintain their relevance and vibrancy within the communications industry calendar.

Our design strategy focuses on updating and refreshing the brand. We aim to create a distinctive and contemporary feel that resonates with the target audience. Additionally, the branding is crafted to seamlessly integrate into a limited colour palette and accommodate sponsor logos, ensuring versatility and consistency across all touch-points.

The Execution

The website and it’s branding can be found here: corporatereportingawards.co.uk.
A strong magenta and purple colour palette works well with the lighting within the venue. Supporting imagery plays a strong part in conveying the feel of the brand.

The Deliverables

Logo design. Brand Identity. Icon designs. Social Media templates. Website project consultation. Website Design. UX refinement. Website maintenance and on-going support. Entry guides, Presentation ceremony slideshow. Seating plan. Tickets.

Challenges Overcome

Navigating the evolving landscape of design trends and technological advancements posed an initial challenge. Ensuring the brand stayed true to its essence while adapting to contemporary aesthetics required meticulous attention. Additionally, coordinating with various stakeholders, managing iterative design processes, and aligning with the ever-changing criteria for award evaluation demanded a fine balance. Overcoming these challenges, a fish in sea successfully delivered a dynamic and impactful brand identity for the CorpComms Awards, fostering a sense of continuity and innovation.