Editorial Design
Annual Reports
Brought Badger Meter’s Annual Report design in-house and created a cohesive multi-year visual system that better reflected the company’s evolution into a smart water technology leader.
Year :
2018 - 2023
Industry :
Water Technology
Company :
Badger Meter
Role :
Brand & Editorial Design Lead
Challenge :
Badger Meter’s Annual Reports had previously been designed by an outside agency, and the covers varied significantly from year to year. When viewed together, they lacked a recognizable visual thread and didn’t consistently feel like publications from the same company.
The existing approach also leaned heavily toward Badger Meter’s history as a metering manufacturer, while the business was increasingly positioning itself around smart water technology, connectivity, and broader solutions.
Solution :
I brought the visual design of the Annual Report in-house and developed a repeatable editorial system that could evolve each year while remaining unmistakably Badger Meter. The new direction introduced a consistent smart-technology visual language, paired with changing photography that connected the company’s technology story back to water as a critical resource.
I also redesigned the front-of-book editorial pages, creating a more engaging introduction to the company’s story before transitioning into the more standardized financial and reporting content.
My Contributions :
Annual Report visual direction and redesign
Multi-year cover system
Cover concept, layout, and image treatment
Technology and connectivity visual language
Front-of-book editorial design
Typography and information hierarchy
Photography selection and composition
Financial/data page styling where applicable
Transition of design work from external agency to in-house
Approach :
Creating a Recognizable Series
Rather than reinventing the cover every year, I created a flexible visual framework that could change with the annual story while maintaining clear continuity across editions. The repeated connectivity-inspired graphics, typography, composition, and image treatments helped the reports feel like part of one evolving series.
Reflecting a Technology Led Company
The new direction moved away from imagery focused primarily on meters and manufacturing. I introduced a smart, connected visual language that better reflected the company’s growing role in technology, software, data, and connected water solutions.
Keeping Water at the Center
While the technology story became more prominent, the reports still needed to reflect why that technology mattered. Image cutouts incorporated water, infrastructure, and people into the connected visual system, reinforcing the company’s role in helping manage and protect a precious resource.
Redesigning the Editorial Experience
I also redesigned the introductory editorial pages, using stronger photography, hierarchy, typography, and data presentation to make the company story more engaging before readers entered the formal financial-reporting sections.
Impact :
The redesign brought Annual Report creative in-house and established a recognizable visual system that could evolve year after year. The new approach created greater consistency across editions while better reflecting Badger Meter’s shift from a traditional metering manufacturer toward a connected smart water technology company.
More Projects
Editorial Design
Annual Reports
Brought Badger Meter’s Annual Report design in-house and created a cohesive multi-year visual system that better reflected the company’s evolution into a smart water technology leader.
Year :
2018 - 2023
Industry :
Water Technology
Company :
Badger Meter
Role :
Brand & Editorial Design Lead
Challenge :
Badger Meter’s Annual Reports had previously been designed by an outside agency, and the covers varied significantly from year to year. When viewed together, they lacked a recognizable visual thread and didn’t consistently feel like publications from the same company.
The existing approach also leaned heavily toward Badger Meter’s history as a metering manufacturer, while the business was increasingly positioning itself around smart water technology, connectivity, and broader solutions.
Solution :
I brought the visual design of the Annual Report in-house and developed a repeatable editorial system that could evolve each year while remaining unmistakably Badger Meter. The new direction introduced a consistent smart-technology visual language, paired with changing photography that connected the company’s technology story back to water as a critical resource.
I also redesigned the front-of-book editorial pages, creating a more engaging introduction to the company’s story before transitioning into the more standardized financial and reporting content.
My Contributions :
Annual Report visual direction and redesign
Multi-year cover system
Cover concept, layout, and image treatment
Technology and connectivity visual language
Front-of-book editorial design
Typography and information hierarchy
Photography selection and composition
Financial/data page styling where applicable
Transition of design work from external agency to in-house
Approach :
Creating a Recognizable Series
Rather than reinventing the cover every year, I created a flexible visual framework that could change with the annual story while maintaining clear continuity across editions. The repeated connectivity-inspired graphics, typography, composition, and image treatments helped the reports feel like part of one evolving series.
Reflecting a Technology Led Company
The new direction moved away from imagery focused primarily on meters and manufacturing. I introduced a smart, connected visual language that better reflected the company’s growing role in technology, software, data, and connected water solutions.
Keeping Water at the Center
While the technology story became more prominent, the reports still needed to reflect why that technology mattered. Image cutouts incorporated water, infrastructure, and people into the connected visual system, reinforcing the company’s role in helping manage and protect a precious resource.
Redesigning the Editorial Experience
I also redesigned the introductory editorial pages, using stronger photography, hierarchy, typography, and data presentation to make the company story more engaging before readers entered the formal financial-reporting sections.
Impact :
The redesign brought Annual Report creative in-house and established a recognizable visual system that could evolve year after year. The new approach created greater consistency across editions while better reflecting Badger Meter’s shift from a traditional metering manufacturer toward a connected smart water technology company.
More Projects
Editorial Design
Annual Reports
Brought Badger Meter’s Annual Report design in-house and created a cohesive multi-year visual system that better reflected the company’s evolution into a smart water technology leader.
Year :
2018 - 2023
Industry :
Water Technology
Company :
Badger Meter
Role :
Brand & Editorial Design Lead
Challenge :
Badger Meter’s Annual Reports had previously been designed by an outside agency, and the covers varied significantly from year to year. When viewed together, they lacked a recognizable visual thread and didn’t consistently feel like publications from the same company.
The existing approach also leaned heavily toward Badger Meter’s history as a metering manufacturer, while the business was increasingly positioning itself around smart water technology, connectivity, and broader solutions.
Solution :
I brought the visual design of the Annual Report in-house and developed a repeatable editorial system that could evolve each year while remaining unmistakably Badger Meter. The new direction introduced a consistent smart-technology visual language, paired with changing photography that connected the company’s technology story back to water as a critical resource.
I also redesigned the front-of-book editorial pages, creating a more engaging introduction to the company’s story before transitioning into the more standardized financial and reporting content.
My Contributions :
Annual Report visual direction and redesign
Multi-year cover system
Cover concept, layout, and image treatment
Technology and connectivity visual language
Front-of-book editorial design
Typography and information hierarchy
Photography selection and composition
Financial/data page styling where applicable
Transition of design work from external agency to in-house
Approach :
Creating a Recognizable Series
Rather than reinventing the cover every year, I created a flexible visual framework that could change with the annual story while maintaining clear continuity across editions. The repeated connectivity-inspired graphics, typography, composition, and image treatments helped the reports feel like part of one evolving series.
Reflecting a Technology Led Company
The new direction moved away from imagery focused primarily on meters and manufacturing. I introduced a smart, connected visual language that better reflected the company’s growing role in technology, software, data, and connected water solutions.
Keeping Water at the Center
While the technology story became more prominent, the reports still needed to reflect why that technology mattered. Image cutouts incorporated water, infrastructure, and people into the connected visual system, reinforcing the company’s role in helping manage and protect a precious resource.
Redesigning the Editorial Experience
I also redesigned the introductory editorial pages, using stronger photography, hierarchy, typography, and data presentation to make the company story more engaging before readers entered the formal financial-reporting sections.
Impact :
The redesign brought Annual Report creative in-house and established a recognizable visual system that could evolve year after year. The new approach created greater consistency across editions while better reflecting Badger Meter’s shift from a traditional metering manufacturer toward a connected smart water technology company.