MCNC's annual report needed to show their involvement in North Carolina's economic future -- explaining this relationship to government legislators, industry leaders, and researchers. The report needed to show MCNC's commitment to increasing the use of emerging electronic technologies, keeping North Carolina competitive in the changing global marketplace. Most importantly, as Stefanie Mendell, former manager of MCNC's corporate communications, explains "We needed to effectively communicate with a very diverse audience -- people from both urban and rural areas across the state."

Kowal Design worked with their corporate communications department to analyze the problem. Having designed all of MCNC's annual reports since 1987, we decided to depart from a purely high-tech look. Our idea was to juxtapose images of long established North Carolina industries with images of the State's new electronic technologies. The wrap around cover (front only, pictured) shows a background collage of three ghosted duotone photographs; an old-time pharmacy, a tobacco barn, and a one room schoolhouse. Three small color photos are inset on the collage; a modern workstation for drug research, a cleanroom for microchip fabrication, and a computerized teleclass. The graphic (pictured) shows a single spread.

Both internally and externally the annual report has been very well received. Stefanie Mendell comments, "Kowal Design suggested a thoughtful design solution which portrayed MCNC as an important contributor to North Carolina's evolving economic heritage -- and as a result of their recommendation of a more friendly writing style, our report received high reader response."