Design as a system: a cohesive annual report

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is significantly raising the bar for sustainability reporting: content must be structured, transparent, auditable and fully aligned with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Georg Fischer’s 2025 sustainability report was prepared in accordance with CSRD requirements and current ESRS guidelines. 

For Linkgroup, this meant the CSRD report, too, was to be designed in a way that balanced regulatory depth with readability and brand impact. Tables, key figures, disclosures and explanatory content were translated into a clear visual system that reduces complexity and facilitates orientation. The goal was to create a CSRD report that forms an integral part of a coherent reporting architecture – turning what was once a disjointed reporting landscape into a unified reporting family.

The aim was to create a visual presence that strengthens the brand, provides structure to content and guides readers smoothly through complex topics. With the 2025 annual report, the format shifted from portrait to a more contemporary landscape layout. The design concept links corporate design precision with editorial readability. Spacious layouts, clean typography, visual chapter structures, consistent charting and a thoughtful balance of copy, imagery and data deliver a report that works both as a whole and when read chapter by chapter. Through the interplay between concept, creative direction and execution, the annual report is transformed into a premium reporting publication that truly reflects the brand.