For the last five years Vital Signs has been a deep dive into the statistical waters of what it means to live here in Newfoundland and Labrador. The places where we shine, and where we do not. It’s eye-opening to the realities that you may or may not know, and it’s presented in an easily-digestible way, next to the opinion pieces, and stories.
Our job, when we were given the opportunity to be part of the fifth anniversary, was to find a way to do it as well or better than those before us. There was lots of opportunity, and of course a few blueprints from the past five years to gain inspiration from.
The Challenge
As we leafed through the past issues we knew it would be a lot of work and a challenge to come up with a way to present all that information so it succeeded as well as those old issues ... but in a new way. This year was also a little different in that, being five years later, it would be important to see how far we’ve come. We knew we had to use charts, graphics, and infographics had to show the changes over those years.
In the end, there would be more than 70 unique graphs and infographics throughout the 16-page document, dispersed among sections containing stories, photos, and opinions. We were asked to make it as info heavy as possible, while also being readable. No easy feat considering the staggering amount of it.
But we’re Penguins, we like a challenge.
Why It's Vital
A few weeks later, and a lot of hard work from everyone involved, we had in our hands the 2018 Vital Signs report. It was presented to business leaders, startups, academics, and interested parties at a launch event, which included an enlightening Q and A portion for those in attendance.
To say we were proud Penguins would be an understatement.
Being a start up ourselves and in business for less than year, it was amazing to see the turnout of those like us. The paper itself looked great, and everyone seemed to get some vital information that was relevant to them. Everything, from the cost of living to the retention of immigrants, the document showcases all the work going into making our province a great place to live.
Standing on Solid Ice
We have our challenges yet in this province (and really around the world), politically, socially, economically, and so on, but we have never lived in a more open and free society. It may happen slower than we would like, but it’s always getting better. It seems we have taken the sage advice of extending out table, rather than adding to our walls. Vital Signs is a great way for us to see what’s left for us to finish tearing down those walls entirely.
If you have a publication, one with big challenges or small, we can help! Get in touch.
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