Measuring Impact at the RDS
The mission of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) is to have a positive impact on Ireland's cultural and economic development by nurturing ideas and people in the areas of arts, agriculture, science, enterprise, and equestrianism. These are all areas in which the RDS has an almost 300-year tradition of involvement and support.
The RDS has produced reports for individual donors and sponsors and its Annual Report highlights activities carried out in a previous year. However, it wasn't until last year that it took the opportunity to report on the impact of its activities by collecting the statistics, stories and evolution of the five RDS Foundation Programme areas.
The intention with this Impact Report was to produce an inspiring, informative and visually attractive document that acted as a clear departure from the more traditional reporting style of the RDS – a dynamic and modern document that mirrors the organisation's ambitions and mission.
The Approach
The design approach was inspired by the role that the RDS has been playing within Irish society since its inception by promoting and supporting the cultural and economic well-being of the nation.
Visually, the RDS can be seen as a podium/platform elevating and supporting individuals along their career paths. It is also a framing device identifying the needs within each area and bring focus, momentum and scale to fulfil those needs, while always being the backdrop to excellence and best practice.
The Execution
A bespoke compact format was chosen to complement the contents and structure of the document. The historical and current impact of the RDS Foundation is highlighted through the use of engaging infographics. Elsewhere the impact is outlined through the individual experiences of selected awardees, collaborators and staff members, who have interacted with the different programme areas of RDS Foundation - arts, agriculture, science, enterprise, and equestrianism.
Red Dog commissioned, and art-directed a series of portraits with photographer Leo Byrne. The photoshoot was held in the historical Hall 4 of the RDS, where selected awardees, collaborators and staff members were shot against the backdrop of the hall's unmistakable architectural features. A selection of projected images was incorporated into the background of the images to create a connection between the space, the people and the projects supported by the Foundation.
A sympathetic extended colour palette clearly represents each programme area and colour-coded framing devices were used throughout the document for ease of navigation and also to highlight features as the reader becomes familiar with the real impact of this legendary Dublin institution.
Commissioning Red Dog to design the first RDS Impact Report resulted in a document that RDS Members and staff are extremely proud of. The Red Dog team took up the challenge of designing a concept to portray the impact of five years of the RDS Foundation’s work, respecting the tradition of an almost 300-year organisation, while depicting the work in a creative and contemporary way. The resulting RDS Impact Report is a visually attractive, informative, high quality publication, which received very positive feedback from its readers. It was a pleasure to work with the Red Dog team, who are professional, solutions orientated, client focussed, and were completely unfazed by any of the challenges that Covid-19 restrictions imposed.
Colm Dolan, Fundraising Manager, RDS Foundation
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