Editorial Design
Organization: Town of Oakville
My role: Lead designer (concept, visual layout)
Deliverables: Annual Report
Audience: Staff, Public
Designed the Town of Oakville Annual Report, a comprehensive and visually engaging publication summarizing the organization’s yearly achievements, key initiatives, and strategic outcomes. This report was intended for both internal stakeholders and external partners, requiring clarity, hierarchy, and a polished visual system that reinforced the organization’s brand.
Annual reports contain dense information — data, stories, timelines, financials, and strategic messaging. The goal was to transform this content into a readable, engaging, and brand‑aligned publication that guided readers through the year’s results without overwhelming them. The project required strong editorial design, system thinking, and strategic layout decisions.
Designed the layout and visual system for the full annual report
Structured editorial hierarchy for headings, subheadings, and data
Developed consistent solutions for charts, timelines, and photography
Collaborated with content creators, communications, and leadership to ensure accuracy and narrative flow
Content organization & hierarchy
Worked closely with the communications team to understand key messages and priority content, defining how visual hierarchy could support readability.
Layout exploration
Created multiple layout options to test how data, imagery, and text could coexist without congestion — choosing a system that balanced white space with information density.
Iterative refinement
Shared drafts with stakeholders for feedback, refining typography, alignment systems, and visual elements to ensure consistency throughout the report.
Final production
Prepared final layouts for print and digital distribution, ensuring colour accuracy, accessibility in typography scales, and seamless transitions between sections.
Delivered a professional, polished annual report that reinforced the Town of Oakville’s brand identity
Helped internal and external audiences quickly grasp key achievements and strategic decisions
Provided a modular layout system the team can reuse and update for future reports, improving efficiency in future cycles
This project deepened my ability to design complex editorial systems that tell a clear story. It required disciplined hierarchy, consistent logic across pages, and close collaboration — all essential skills for a senior designer working at scale with strategic impact.