Suwanee’s 2024 Annual Report, and my first Annual Report for the city, has officially picked up a 3CMA Award of Excellence!
3CMA’s Savvy Awards recognize communications projects and campaigns from local governments big and small across the country. I’m especially excited for this project to have been recognized because it was such an illustration-heavy undertaking, which is some of my favorite work to do! I loved getting to highlight Suwanee’s local parks in this style, as a longtime fan of the original 14 National Parks posters from the WPA Federal Poster Project.
Each section of the report was centered around a local park “poster,” but the illustrations quickly evolved beyond the spreads in the Annual Report. They were soon after printed as life-size (18”×24”) posters and postcards, and were a huge hit in the local community. The hundreds of postcards mailed and posters now hanging in homes around Suwanee (and beyond!) all started with the illustrations created for this Annual Report theme.
The 3CMA judges specifically noted this in their statement on the award:
“This was a standout entry that brought a fresh perspective to the traditional annual report. The stylized artwork and creative layouts made the publication engaging to read while guiding the reader naturally from one section to the next. One of the strongest indicators of its success is that many of the designs were repurposed into additional campaigns, extending the impact of the work well beyond the report itself. It’s clear a lot of thought went into creating something that was both visually compelling and highly effective.”
It’s always nice to win an award, and even more exciting when the judges call out the long-term legacy of the campaign, reaffirming that the project’s intention became a reality. Cheers!
