TORONTO—Craib Design & Communications released its 5th Annual Report Trends survey in a presentation at the Toronto Stock Exchange last evening. The survey tracks design-related trends as well as business topics, all reported in a slick 60-page booklet.

Among the design trends in the 205 reports selected for benchmarking, the survey notes that 41% employ design extras such as gatefolds, tip-ins, die-cuts and spot glosses. Almost all reports—90%—were produced in four or more colours, and 85% contained colour photography. Companies are using report covers to state a theme or introduce the investment argument; only 5% of report covers contain just the company name and year.

Interestingly, given the carnage in the U.S. financial industry, the report notes that only 27% of U.S. companies produce a traditional annual report, with the remainder producing the minimum Form 10-K required by regulators. But 83% of Canadian companies on the TSX/S&P publish a traditional annual report.

The Internet’s undeniable impact was also noted, and AR websites were included in the survey. “And yet,” as the authors note, “most of the leading companies in North America and Europe continue to devote substantial time and resources to the printed annual report. They do so because only the printed report offers the control required—over structure, pacing and context—to ensure that the right story reaches the right audience, with impact.”

Craib also simultaneously released its second annual Corporate Social Responsibility Trends report. Major companies are increasingly publishing separate CSR sections or whole reports, with the content emphasis switching from traditional philanthropy to social and environmental issues. CSR reports tend to be more visual than annual reports, with an average of 61 photographs and/or illustrations for each report surveyed.

The event attracted about 80 investor relations professionals. Craib has been in business almost 30 years and produces the AR and CSR Trends reports with sponsors including Grafikom (printing), M-real (paper) and Brian Pieters Photography. Contact www.craib.com