Situation / Challenge

Halcyon chose Sage to develop and design its 2017 Annual Report. As a DC-based nonprofit arts and social enterprise incubator, Halcyon lives by a unique mission: to support civic-minded artists and social entrepreneurs through a signature of programs and residential fellowships. A mission which called for a bold Annual Report concept. 

Sage’s challenge was to create a high-profile brochure that not only showcased Halcyon’s accomplishments in 2017, but also highlighted its messaging and mission in creative ways. 

Approach

Sage worked closely with Halcyon to brainstorm an overarching theme of the report — “Dare to be ___” — and a list of keywords to complete this theme. We then narrowed the list to two key messages: “Dare to be bold. Dare to unexpected,” and designed an interactive and dynamic front cover allowing the user to activate a pull-tab to reveal the themed messaging through a die cut. This concept was carried through to the inside front cover to reveal two additional key messages: “A unique vision. A unique perspective.” 

Sage continued the die cut technique on select pages to reveal key messaging such as “world-changing ventures,” “emerging artists,” and “civic-minded artists.” We also provided copyediting services to ensure all content read as a single voice and represented Halcyon’s branding. 

Results

Sage’s work on behalf of Halcyon’s 2017 Annual Report subsequently won the Platinum Award in the Print Media | Publications category at the 2019 Hermes Creative Awards.