For five years in a row, we’ve partnered with Girls Who Code to create their annual report. Each report showcases the exciting strides the organization has made, including successful media campaigns, national expansion of clubs and programs, rising membership numbers, financial statistics and donors, and goals for the upcoming year. But for their 2020 report, which encapsulated a year unlike any other, they wanted to tell the story of how they thrived and supported their members despite the challenges the Pandemic presented.

As we had in previous years, we decided to create an interactive annual report. This format gave us the creative freedom and flexibility to tell a powerful story about the organization’s extraordinary work, remind readers of their unique mission, and build excitement for the work to come.

Our creative approach for the Girls Who Code annual report varies from year to year, but we usually use thematically driven designs to showcase their work. However, in a turbulent year where many things we once relied on fell away, we chose to take a simpler approach and use the organization’s core branding to showcase their resiliency and impact. As Girls Who Code had also announced an exciting change in their leadership, returning to their core brand felt like the right way to begin their new chapter.

The report’s hopeful narrative revolved around the organization’s achievements, filled with highlights that reflected the spirit of the Girls Who Code mission. To shine a light on how their work has enhanced young women’s lives, we spotlighted ways their alumni used their education to weather the storm of the Pandemic and give back to their communities.

To bring these stories to life, we applied their visual language through color, typography, and imagery. By pairing bold data points with moving gradients in soft colors and adding animation and interactivity, the report turned into an engaging and inspiring journey.

Through this collaboration, Girls Who Code was able to add a ray of light to a dark year, showcase the crucial work they do, celebrate their amazing students, and inspire donors to continue to support the organization.

“Girls Who Code values the partnership and creativity we have with Column Five. We value their ideas and innovation.”
—Ashley Gramby
Director of Marketing & Communications, Girls Who Code