Templates are helpful. They keep things organized, make sure you’re covering the right ground, and help teams stay in sync. But when every corporate report looks and feels the same, something gets lost. Even the strongest stories can feel flat when they follow a rigid structure.
The best organizations know that it’s not about throwing templates out the window. It’s about knowing when to stick with structure and when to change it up. Consistency matters, but so do creativity and clarity. Whether you’re working on a sustainability report, integrated report, annual report, proxy, or highlight piece, your format should support the story, not hold it back.
Here are a few ways to know when it’s time to break from the usual:
Let strategy lead the way
Don’t default to past formats or regulatory checklists. Instead, think about what actually matters to your stakeholders this year.
Try This Take a fresh look at your communication priorities early in the process. For sustainability or integrated reports, put the spotlight on material topics. For annual or proxy reports, bring strategic wins, key risks, or leadership changes to the front. See how Lowe’s does this across both their annual report and corporate responsibility report. The content is aligned to the company’s priorities and clearly structured for different audiences without feeling repetitive or templated.
Move the important stuff up
Too often, the good stuff ends up buried. Powerful stories about transformation or impact can get pushed to the back, where fewer people see them.
Try This Start strong. Lead with what matters most, whether that’s a major sustainability milestone, a successful merger, or a bold innovation. Think of your report as a story, not a checklist. The Charter 2024 report is a great example of this approach, placing a concise, visual ESG summary up front so readers immediately understand the report’s key focus areas.
Design to Stand Out
Design shouldn’t be an afterthought. It should help people find and remember what’s most important. Templates can sometimes make even big wins feel generic.
Try This Work with your designers to build layouts that highlight your top messages. Use design to guide the reader’s eye to your best results, clearest narratives, and leadership insights. Our Ocean Spray report is a great example of a design that breaks the mold while staying true to the brand. It adapts to the content without ever feeling formulaic.
Speak to the right people
Different audiences care about different things. What works for one group might not click with another.
Try This Break your content into smaller, focused pieces. Think microsites, short executive summaries, or targeted reports for specific stakeholder groups. Personalizing your message helps it land more effectively.
Drop the jargon
Stakeholders can spot generic language a mile away. When everything sounds the same, it’s hard to trust what you’re saying.
Try This Be real. Especially in leadership messages and narrative sections, use language that reflects your company’s voice and values. Our work with Colgate-Palmolive is a strong example of how clear, strategic messaging can replace vague phrases and elevate the entire report.
Templates are useful, but great reports often break a few rules to better tell the story. The companies that do this well adjust their formats to match their strategy, speak to their audience, and reflect who they are. The result is a report that feels different in a good way.
Want to create a report that’s as unique as your brand? Get in touch with Curran & Connors to rethink structure, elevate design, and craft messaging that genuinely connects.