For the better part of the last century, annual reports were things that companies put lots of effort into, hiring graphic designers, illustrators, and artists. Graphic design work was pricey either way, and so companies took advantage of this sunk cost to turn everyday reports into things with true meaning, rallying their teams around the flag.

When the personal computer became popular and layout and graphic design was “democratized,” the amount companies expected to pay for things went down. And so, while they continued to invest in branding and marketing, they stopped investing in aesthetics.

As the production of graphics gets further mechanized via AI tools, I do worry about what we’re about to lose this time. I thought it might be interesting to take a look through what we lost before, and see if maybe we can give some of these great ideas new life.

— Phil, @philhedayatnia

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