Cherkizovo is Russia’s largest pork and poultry producer. Based in Moscow, the company was established in 2005. Their 2020 annual report is modelled partly on modern, upmarket cookbooks and partly on contemporary lifestyle magazines. With contents listed on the cover and mention of five recipes favoured by chefs, if the cover did not specifically reference annual reporting, Cherkizovo’s 2020 report could easily be mistaken for a magazine about food.
The report is unusual in that it makes wide use of photography in a pandemic year when many companies opted for illustration. Full and double-page spreads appear throughout the report, showing beautifully styled and lit photographs of ingredients and prepared dishes against rich, black backgrounds. Portraits, likewise, are given full-page treatment.
On smaller images, where possible, one or more corners of an image are rounded, creating a soft tone that works hand-in-hand with the mellow colour palette and use of grey text for subheadings and captions. This use of light tones in the main palette and in infographics creates a sense of space.
Infographics make use of sausage-shaped (!) bar charts, regularly throughout the report. These are well-styled to fit the colour and photography on each page, so as not to distract from the key visual. The type-treatment relies on a serif with high stroke contrast and a narrow sans serif, contributing to the creation of a unified, sophisticated image of a modern food company.
