Project brief: The Law Foundation of Ontario has a duty to report its activities each year to its many discerning and media-savvy target audiences. Matter Strategic Design was hired to develop an annual report that would do one thing: give the organization a voice. LFO wanted to humanize its position among its many stakeholder groups. It needed to show that, at its core, the Foundation is about people and for people. The lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals who make up its target audiences would let them know in the end whether the completed annual report succeeded in this respect.

Approach: Matter developed the direction for the annual report, then worked with senior management at LFO and communications consultant Kevin Hanson to refine its tone. We wanted to ensure that the new “voice” of LFO was well aligned with the organization’s communications strategy and business objectives. The annual report’s design celebrates LFO’s remarkable achievements while respecting its not-for-profit principles. Clean, contemporary design coupled with purposefully cost-conscious paper and printing choices put the emphasis where it belongs: on the message.

Effectiveness: LFO’s 2009 annual report has garnered enthusiastic approval from legal professionals across the province, some writing to the management team to express their approval of both the design and the opening message. One lawyer noted that it was the best annual report he’d ever seen. Following the success of last year’s piece, the client has retained Matter for this year’s LFO annual report.