Vital Signs is an annual report measuring our city’s quality of life, providing a yearly snapshot of where our heads are at. It’s meant to spark conversation around critical issues most relevant to city inhabitants and inform donors about potential areas of need. 

A year without touch ✋

2021 was a year like no other. Cases of COVID-19 continued to surge. As did the needs of many Calgarians. Amongst these needs? Help with overcoming yet another year in isolation. By developing a compelling design language, we were able to demonstrate Calgarians' shifting feelings about the physical touch of others. Both as a moment of elation and as a moment of fear. This new tension around touch became the annual report’s key methodology for expressing community needs. From finance to mental health to the environment. Leveraging new meanings and associations. A black foil-stamped thermochromic ink cover, activating upon touch, helped to underscore this notion. While fingerprints and handprints were creatively used throughout the annual report to illustrate specific topics.