Keith Hutchens Concept and Design Manager

I love being in Winston-Salem, since I grew up near here. And I love our work environment. I'm drawn to things that have a lot of character, and this building is flooded with it. Coming from a town with one stoplight, I really appreciate being downtown. With all the revitalization going on, it's a great time to be here.

I also appreciate our local accounts. It's nice to be able to see the results of our work around town, like the billboards for Southern Community and Forsyth Tech and Piedmont Craftsmen.

What I like about our clients is that they allow us to look at things differently. They're willing to stand out, and they are very open to the ideas we present to them. They know we've done our homework and have good reasons for what we recommend.

And of course I love the mix of people here at The Bloom Agency. What we each do is not limited by our job descriptions. We all depend on each other and each other's talents, and we come together as a team.

We're always under some pressure when we do Southern Community's annual report, because all the annual reports we've done for them have won top awards from the League of American Communications Professionals.

The process starts with a brainstorming session with the whole account team. Since this is a big client, it's a big team, with two writers, two designers, the relationship manager and the production manager. For the 2007 annual report, we decided as a group that this year we would emphasize Southern Community's local roots and local character.

Janet, the writer for the project, came up with the overall theme "In a Good Place." That allowed us to focus on North Carolina as a location, and on the bank's being in a good place in regard to financial soundness and growth, and especially in relation to the general turmoil in the financial markets.

I worked on the cover concept first. I really wanted to use an embossed outline of the map of North Carolina. Southern Community uses the annual report for so many purposes that these special touches are justified. Embossing the cover allowed me some good options for the inside front cover, which included the dedication of the report to the memory of board member Durward Smith. I had met Mr. Smith on a photo shoot when we were working on the 2006 annual report, and I wanted to do something graphically to elevate this tribute to him. Meeting some of Southern Community's customers at the photo shoots is one of the best parts of this project. Hearing what they have to say about the bank makes me feel great about having Southern Community as our client.

The colors in the photographs dictate the color blocks on each page, so each spread uses different colors. I like the way we were able to showcase some of our work – ads and signs and statement stuffers – throughout the book. I also like the way we carried sections on "Small Enough to Care" and "A Good Place to Be" through each spread in the feature section. Repeating elements that way leads people through the report.

I'm proud of the clear way the financial information is presented. After all, some people are only looking for the financials. And I like the fact that Southern Community, as much as it has grown, still lists every employee in the annual report. It's one of the biggest headaches, to get it right, but it says a lot about what kind of company they are. Working on the annual report, I can see why Southern Community has come as far as it has.

And guess what? The 2007 annual report was our sixth consecutive winner. It took the silver award in the LACP competition for annual reports of banks with over $1 billion in assets.