VANCOUVER—The printed annual report is definitely not dead.

Ion Branding and Design in Vancouver proved that recently, even though the report was for a fictitious organization – the Canadian Icemakers Guild.

The tongue-in-cheek offering was also a fun way to promote print, said Rod Roodenburg, partner at Ion.


 

The report shows the financials for the group, its organizational structure, and even features the 2011 Icemaker of the Year – "Internationally renowned Zamboni master Crysta Lin".

Ion worked with Blanchette Press, Perry Danforth Photography, Jane Dough creative, and Cascades paper on the project.



While Ion deals a lot in electronic media, some clients have been less than satisfied with the results of digital campaigns and are returning to print, he reported. "It's not like we don't believe in electronic media, we do a lot of it. But half of our business, and it's a growing business, is print material," he said. "I think a lot of companies are realizing that their target audience doesn't always enjoy electronic media, and it doesn't matter what age they are."

He noted there's a large environmental footprint created by the fabrication of computers and powering them. "People look at computers and technology as being the silver bullet solution to our environmental issues, but in fact, printing and paper used correctly are a far better solution," offered Roodenburg. "We've probably never produced as much print as we have this year."

Ion deals regularly with a number of printers in the Vancouver area, and said "they do a good job with environmental stewardship ... all the way down the line, the partners we use are concerned about the environment."

About 1,500 copies of the annual report were printed and sent to clients and friends around the world, he said. Blanchette produced the reports using a four-colour process on a 40" KBA offset press.