With over 60 years of providing disability support for hundreds of South Australian children, young people and adults with a disability and their families, Cara is a leading care provider in the community. In light of the impending National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) rollout in South Australia, Cara wanted to use its annual report as a canvas for demonstrating its commitment to people with disabilities. Especially with regard to providing customised care that helped them live independently and make their own choices.

The brief was challenging – to build confidence in Cara’s ability to customise pathways according to the needs of those with disabilities. The creative idea was simple – let the annual report become a window into the lives of the people who regularly used Cara’s care services.

In order to achieve this, Cara selected clients to represent the range of its disability services and the longstanding relationships it had with them. These individuals were then photographed in their everyday environments, thus visually telling their story. A simple backdrop helped emphasise their presence and set them apart from the background setting. Key messages were also developed which provided a first-hand glimpse into their lives and the empowerment they received from being with Cara.

Visually powerful and highly emotional, these photographic stories were inserted as spreads throughout the annual report. Not only did they provide credibility to Cara’s achievements from the year gone, they also humanised a corporate document that was largely financial and informational in its content.

The choice of colours and typeface also helped enhance the visionary nature of Cara along with the sensitivity and care that it is known for. Embossed type on the cover created a tactile means of engaging the reader while a weighty, uncoated stock added to the document’s significance.