ABOUT

Introduction: Think was brought in to complete and deliver ’s 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts after the project had already begun. Our role included reviewing and finalising the UK report, delivering accessibility compliance, producing the Welsh-language version and managing a short-run printed edition.

Not every project starts at the beginning.

When was seeking a partner to produce its 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts, Think submitted a detailed proposal covering design, artwork, accessibility, Welsh-language production, quality assurance, project management and final delivery.

The project was awarded elsewhere.

A few months later, however, the Fund came back to us.

The challenge: The Annual Report and Accounts is one of the Fund’s most significant corporate publications. As a statutory document, it combines organisational performance, governance and financial reporting, supported by extensive review and approval processes involving senior leadership, auditors and the National Audit Office.

This was never just about producing a report.

The document contained complex financial information, governance content, tables, charts and data visualisations, all of which needed to meet strict accessibility requirements and be prepared across multiple final formats.

As publication deadlines drew closer, additional support was needed to prepare the report for release and ensure it met the accessibility standards required for digital publication. Internal teams were already asking when the accessible version would be available online, making timescales increasingly critical.

Think was asked to step in and help and complete the project

Picking up a live project: Joining an active project midway through presents a very different set of challenges from starting with a blank page.

Rather than building the report from the ground up, we inherited existing files, established processes and a live publication schedule. Before moving forward, we needed to understand what had already been completed, assess the quality and structure of the documents and identify the most effective path to delivery.

This was not a redesign project.

It was a technical completion and recovery exercise that demanded expertise, precision and the ability to work quickly within an existing framework.

Completing the UK report and delivering accessibility compliance: Although the report design had already been created, significant work remained before publication.

Every page of the English-language report required review, checking and preparation to achieve accessibility compliance. This involved far more than simply applying tags to a PDF. We carried out a comprehensive audit of the artwork, assessing document structure, paragraph styles, navigation, layout consistency, artwork placement and hierarchy across more than 150 pages.

Accessibility was a fundamental requirement.

As a public body, needed a report that met recognised accessibility standards and could be confidently shared online. The final publication needed to be fully navigable, compatible with assistive technologies and structured to provide an inclusive experience for all users.

Working through the document page by page, we resolved inconsistencies, improved structural integrity and implemented the technical requirements necessary to create a fully accessible publication. Once the English-language version had been thoroughly reviewed and prepared, final accessibility testing and compliance checks could be completed.

Following delivery of the UK report, we produced the full Welsh-language version, maintaining consistency across both editions while applying the same rigorous standards of quality, usability and accessibility. We also prepared artwork for a short-run printed edition and managed the production process from start to finish. This involved a separate print workflow, specialist artwork preparation and production management to ensure the printed reports matched the accuracy and quality of their digital counterparts.

The result was a complex statutory publication delivered on schedule, fully compliant with accessibility requirements and suitable for a diverse audience, including individuals using assistive technology.

The outcome: Think helped deliver the Fund’s 2024-25 Annual Report and Accounts by reviewing and completing the UK report, ensuring accessibility compliance, producing the Welsh-language version and managing artwork and production for the printed edition.

Despite joining the project late in the process, we provided the expertise, structure and delivery capability required to guide a complex publication through to completion.

The finished reports met all required publication standards, maintained consistency across digital and print formats, and enabled the Fund to provide an accessible experience for users while producing high-quality printed copies for key stakeholders.

More than design: The success of complex projects is not defined by how they begin.

It is defined by how effectively they are delivered.

This project highlighted the importance of experience, process and resilience when compliance, reputation and delivery deadlines are at stake.

A new creative concept wasn’t what was needed. Instead, The National Lottery Community Fund needed a partner capable of stepping into a live, high-profile project, taking ownership of the challenges, delivering accessibility compliance, producing multilingual versions, managing print production and ensuring successful delivery.

That is exactly what Think delivered.