As far as communications media go, the term "ultimate challenge" would not be far wrong for a business report. A legally significant heavyweight in terms of content, a highlight in terms of visual appeal, and designed as the advertising banner for the company, its creation demands various skills from the customer and from the agencies involved.

The Hochdorf Group, a long-established manufacturer and international marketer of high-quality foods and ingredients made from milk, grain, and oilseeds, faced a major step forward when it came to its annual report. The company wanted to offer its shareholders more than the online PDF to download. Ultimately, information is increasingly being consumed via online channels.

With the support of W4, Hochdorf is able to present its annual figures and strategic orientation for 2015 on its own microsite - all in the new design, of course, and with easily remembered positioning. The secret of success was that the complex creation process, involving editing, content migration, layout design, typsettings and correction phases, took place in parallel for print and online right from the start, thanks to the TYPO3 editorial system. All content was drafted and corrected directly online. Once approved, the print version was converted into a PDF, and the online version went live.

Hochdorf Annual Report 2015.

W4 services for the Hochdorf annual report 2015

New design - visualising values

Before now, Hochdorf had not used a separate image section. With the 2015 edition of the annual report, this section was added, featuring a presentation of the company's biggest areas of business. The emotional presentation communicates the values, goals, and visions that Hochdorf stands for in a succinct form, in images and short texts. W4 gave the design a fundamentally more modern interpretation and yet remained true to its visually sleek style.

TYPO3 editorial system - web first!

"If we are going to have a completely new online presence for the annual report, then we are thinking digital all the way", said the W4 team. Where NS-Publish was still following the print approach with an online add-on, the editorial system from TYPO3 allowed online working right from the start. This makes the creation and correction process much, much easier. The typical headache of implementing the finished version's layout online was cured. In the TYPO3 editorial system, an online and print version is provided right from the start, each with its own layout. All changes are implemented simultaneously in the online and the print version.

Online microsite - reader-friendly, big on image

The change from having the annual report as an online PDF that could be downloaded to a separate online platform is nothing short of a quantum leap. Hochdorf, as well as its shareholders, benefit from the microsite. Why would you want to read a PDF version with the extensive annual accounts on a mobile phone? It's no problem with a click on the microsite. Menu options allow readers to navigate through the sections and parts of the report, allowing selective reading - and in multiple languages, of course. And the PDF is still naturally available as a compressed package for anyone who wants a version in the classic report form for later reading.