Palfinger AG is an Austrian firm that makes machines for hydraulic lifting and loading. It is especially well known for its cranes and claims to be the global market leader for loader cranes, timber and recycling cranes, marine cranes, wind cranes, hooklifts and railway systems.
Instead of showcasing some of the marvelous machines they construct (cranes bolted to wind farms in the deep ocean for instance!) Palfinger has opted to use everyday objects – things that someone working at the company might use. Shoes, hardhats, phones, laptops, dictionaries and spanners all make an appearance. The objects are of vastly differing sizes – a boardroom table with people at it might sit next to a telephone. While the images are scaled to sit next to one another it is the clever lighting that makes the final assemblage convincing.
When a reader clicks on each thematic section the individual images ‘assemble’ themselves into a neat grid. The animation is finely judged and little grace notes like a spoon stirring coffee after all the other animation has stopped are quite charming.
The remainder of the report is a simple affair with virtually no images in use and a few icons to balance the text and negative space. One item of note is the CEO’s message which is conducted in the form of an interview – a refreshing change from the standard first person narrative so common to annual reports.
