Annual reports, holiday cards, microsites, client gifts and rebrands. Five year-end design projects to start now so December stays calm.
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Somewhere out there, someone just googled "is it too late to order holiday cards?"
How many business days are left this year? Why did I say yes to an annual report? Should I build a clever microsite for our company holiday? What's the best branded gift under $20? If any of these sound familiar, we're here to help!
Q4 has a way of feeling like planning season and scramble season at the same time. One minute there's plenty of runway. Next, you're explaining why the holiday card is suddenly a New Year's card.
Holidays shorten the work week, printers and vendors fill their schedules, and approvals slow down as people take time off. The brands that reach out early tend to have a much calmer season than the ones who wait until December.
Some items to put on your radar now so you're not stressed in December:
Your annual report showcases this year's success, so it deserves more than a template. We help shape the narrative, pull forward the numbers that matter, and design spreads people want to flip through. For the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, that meant bold stat callouts, photo-driven pages, and sections with real personality.
Good storytelling takes time. Gathering content, rounds of review, and print production all need room, which is why this is the one to start first.
Annual reports can come in many formats. Here are a few ideas with different execution timelines.
A microsite is a small, focused site built around one message, like a year in review, a campaign, or an event. It works alongside your main website, not instead of it. If you have a story that would get buried on your homepage, a microsite gives it a home of its own.
For microsites just think of things like Spotify Wrapped or a great year-end review where you can tell your story in an interactive and branded way. Share it to the company and key stakeholders and create a time capsule of this year's success.
Microsites can live outside your current domain as well and can take on a personality and voice of their own but tie back to the brand. AI powered builds allow for high-end interactions while keeping budgets reasonable. Big impact. Quick turnaround.
Ideas include:
Print is alive and well (and maybe the most important thing you can do this year), and a holiday card on real paper still gets propped up on desks and taped to refrigerators well into January.
We design printed cards with the kind of details people notice up close, like textured stock, foil, and a message worth reading twice. For clients who want to reach everyone on time with no postage, we create e-cards too, like this playful cookie-themed card for BNA CPAs & Advisors. Branded holiday Zoom backgrounds round out the season and bring some cheer to year-end calls and virtual parties.
Ideas include:
The best gifts are ones people actually use. This year we sent clients our own Social Design House Blend coffee, made with Enderly Coffee. We've also designed custom totes, like Passport's "Good Citations" bag for IPMI 2024, and even sticker sets. Physical products have the longest lead times, so these are worth locking in early.
Ideas:
You know the one. It's been on the list all year. Starting now means you can walk into January with a brand that finally looks like where your business is headed. Approve the direction in December and launch in Q1 with fresh templates ready on day one.
Ideas include:
Start early-ish. That means a clear timeline from the first conversation, room for real feedback rounds, and a buffer for printing and shipping. You get to enjoy the end of the year instead of chasing it.
A few dates to work back from:
We have some room on our calendar before year-end, whether you're an existing client or someone we haven't worked with yet. From annual reports to sticker sets, we've got you covered.
Reach out at socialdesign.house and let's get your year-end projects moving.
