Numbers fade. Stories stay: Five reports with a story to tell

A good annual or integrated report offers a narrative that goes beyond the numbers. Readers gain a sense of what the company experienced that year, what it values and how it sees the future. The reports Finar has produced over the years offer many tangible examples of this approach. These five projects show how a well-crafted story can make a report more engaging and more memorable.

1. TEGV – A founder's story through a child's eyes

2020 was a difficult year for the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Türkiye (TEGV): the loss of its founder, Suna Kıraç, was compounded by the pandemic. Finar opened the report with a short account of her life, told through drawings by Dijan Duru Yılmaz, a child participating in TEGV's programmes. The pages and charts also drew on the visual language of children's art. Deep sadness was balanced with hope and achievement, creating a narrative that was moving yet measured.

2. VakıfBank – Bringing a championship spirit into the report

VakıfBank's 2022 Integrated Annual Report took inspiration from its women's volleyball team, which won five titles across five competitions. The bank's core values, including teamwork, loyalty, a focus on results and leadership, were brought to life through the team's performance on court. Collages, indicators and charts on the concept pages drew on the shape and colours of a volleyball. Corporate success became a tangible visual story.

3. PASHA Bank – Three countries, one art book

PASHA Bank's 2016 annual report told the story of a bank operating across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye through photographs by Mustafa Seven and specially commissioned texts. The report became an art book, extending the possibilities of the traditional annual report format. The bank's CEO, Cenk Eynehan, described it as the best report he had seen in his 23-year career and said he shared it during client visits. The story came to represent three countries as well as the bank.

4. Torunlar REIC – When the chair takes up the pen

Torunlar REIC's 2013 annual report was designed as a book. Written by Board Chair Aziz Torun, it brought together personal experiences, family, company performance and reflections on the economy. It even had a book-style title: “10 Good Ideas on Developing Business, Shopping and Living Spaces”. Stakeholder views appeared on the back cover. The result was a warm, coherent narrative with the appeal of a bestselling book.

5. TAV Airports – “The Art of Service”

TAV Airports' 2010 annual report was built around the concept “The Art of Service”. With choreography by renowned ballet dancer Tan Sağtürk, TAV employees brought that art to life in a series of photographs. The report was named “Best of the World” across categories at the International Annual Reports Competition (ARC), widely regarded as the Oscars of annual reporting. It also won “Best of Türkiye” and “Best Cover Design”. By placing employees at the heart of the story, the report gave the company's service philosophy both visual and emotional expression.

Stories stay with us.

All five examples bring the report's central message together around a single, powerful story. The numbers and indicators become part of that story. As Finar puts it on its own website: “Stories are always remembered. Stories always work.” The right story transforms a report into a distinctive expression of the organisation in that particular year.