Not all police agencies are created equal. In late 2009, we had the opportunity to work with the Washington DC Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) on their annual report. They are the professionals in charge of the safety and security of millions of people within one of our nation’s largest public transportation systems which also reaches into the heart of our nation, a highly trafficked and symbolic area.
Metro’s goal was to tell the story of the dedication and vigilance that is the hallmark of the Metro Police. With thousands of hours of training, certification in three separate jurisdictions (DC, VA and MD) and specialized training in counter-terrorism, MTPD officers are some of the best trained in the nation. They are called on to support and train transit police departments in other cities as well.
As is typical of many annual reports, past ones simply focused on presenting data for the department. Though they do have some impressive figures (transporting 60,000 people per hour, moving 1.5 million people on President Obama’s Inauguration Day, guarding $800,000 in cash daily), Chief Taborn, Chief Delinski and Sgt. McKee all wanted to push this project further to tell the story of what goes on inside of MTPD. The story that needed to be told is the level of dedication that the officers and staff bring to their jobs. The annual report is now a piece that it commemorates, in a tangible form, their achievements and highlights during the previous year.
Sgt. McKee did a huge amount of work pulling together a year’s worth of information and photos from over 40 offices. Originally intended to be 48 pages, the page count of the annual report shot up by 50% to 72 pages once the information started flowing in from the various offices and departments. The resulting content, with more than 100 photos, put the spotlight on the heros behind the safety and security of this transportation system. Photo styles ranged from candid to formal and included those of honored fallen officers. We added captions to many of the photos to increase understanding of the scene portrayed in them.
Aesthetically, the repetition of round-cornered rectangles was a design motif inspired by the architecture of the Metrorail’s underground stops. The color scheme of the DC Metro system map was used to boldly identify and distinguish sections of the report. Tabs printed on the outer margin of the pages help keep readers oriented as to what section they are in. These two techniques serve double duty since they lend the report the familiar feel of the Metro system itself.
Organization
Birch Studio’s goal to make an annual report for this large organization was summed up in the words of Chief Delinski, “The challenges were many but the final product was worth it.” There was a LOT of information to organize. It went without saying it had to look good. But it had to be inviting and easy to read otherwise all of our work would be in vain. We easily spent as much time designing as we did organizing the information.
People read big, bold headlines and photos first, then subheads and smaller images, then captions and bullets. This is a natural progression as our eyes are hard-wired to look at big things first, before getting into the details. So we worked with the scale of images and text to enhance readability through a stair-stepping method.
We used this progression to guide readers through a section, providing signposts and resting points along the way. Headers and subheads direct the reader’s attention while groupings of photos allow for a diversion from the otherwise consistent and rhythmic structure. Chunking information in this way allows readers to skim information to see if they have any interest before diving in to read larger paragraphs.
Presented with a massive chunk of paragraph text and a bullet list, the first thing to be read is usually the bullet text. That’s because of our need to dip our toes in the pool of information before committing to going in whole-heartedly. If we like what we see in the headlines and subheads, we feel comfortable committing to reading a longer paragraph.
It’s similar to how a house with a porch gives you a more gradual and inviting way to enter its space. The gradual progression from outdoors to indoors involves time and scale.
Page Structure
For the page layout, we created a two column grid, with a large outer margin and several horizontal guides at the top of each page. This structure, especially the series of horizontal guides, allowed us a good deal of flexibility in placement of content without sacrificing the overall visual integrity between pages. We stuck to these guidelines religiously, except when where we really needed to break from it, or saw a great opportunity to show off more of Metro’s photographs.
Summary
Using several methods to break up the content and allow readers to engage with it at their own pace, we were able to make a very accessible and information-rich annual report without compromising the design or heavily editing the information. The result is a substantial publication that can be read lightly as a coffee table book or in-depth for the truly interested.
PROCESS STEPS
1. create written outline of the content
2. research public safety annual reports
3. create first draft of cover, table of contents, section divider and a typical page spread
4. revise cover, table of contents, section divider and a typical page spread
5. complete layout of annual report
6. revise text and design
7. send hard copy and PDF proofs
8. review paper samples and binding styles
9. solicit print quotes and manage production
