Oil Search commissioned ArmstrongQ to design and produce their 2014 Annual Report as part of their 2014 Reporting Suite. 

Oil Search Limited is a public company listed on the ASX. It was established in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1929 and listed in 1974. Over 95% of the Company’s assets are located in PNG where it holds a range of oil and gas production and exploration licenses. It is PNG’s largest oil producer.

2014 was one of the most significant in Oil Search’s 86-year history.

The US$19 billion PNG LNG Project came on stream and transformed Oil Search into a regionally significant oil and gas producer.
Record production and profitability was achieved, with 19.3 million barrels of oil produced in 2014, nearly three times higher than in 2013.
Dividends more than tripled.
In response to the oil price fall in 2014, a major strategic review was conducted and resulted in a renewed vision. Six key strategies were established along with a range of initiatives to support the delivery of these strategies.
Substantial progress was made on the next phase of LNG growth in PNG, with the Company acquiring an interest in gas fields in the Gulf Province of PNG.
Significant progress was made on a potential expansion of the PNG LNG Project.

The over-arching theme for the year was the completion of the Company’s transformation. Our goal was to capture this theme through a strong, vibrant, culturally-sensitive and innovative design theme and execution. The design theme and execution also had to engage all stakeholders and ensure they understood the transformation of the Company.

With the transformation now complete, and following on from the previous years thematic representing a silhouette of the Queen Alexander Butterfly in transformation, it was now time to reveal the butterfly.

A select range of of print embellishments were utilised to bring the butterfly to life. First a “Reflector Coat” was applied to create the metallic iridescent appearance. Then a “Micro Motion” treatment was applied to create the tactile, textural effect of the butterfly’s wing patterns. Lastly, a “Touch Matt” finish was applied to produce the velvet-like finish and enhance the embellishment.

The combination of these three embellishments produced an eye-catching, high-contrast tactile result that also created the illusion of motion, alluding the viewer into ‘seeing’ an actual butterfly sitting on the page.

We wanted to take visual engagement to the next level, so we explored the latest developments in print embellishment, as well as digital technology enabling the intergration of video.

Augmented Reality (AR) was integrated into the report to offer readers a truly immersive experience. Most Oil Search stakeholders do not have the opportunity to travel to the PNG operations, therefore, it was important to provide stakeholders with the visual context for the company’s operations. Through use of the Layar App on a smart devise, readers can access a series of videos by scanning marked pages in the report. Videos included an overview of operations at the Company’s locations in PNG and MENA along with key highlights; a message from the Managing Director; and commentary from Senior Leadership Team members introducing the six point strategic directions.

A hexagon graphic devise was developed to symbolise the six-point strategy. It is utilised throughout the report to help readers navigate the AR accessible information.

The ArmstongQ photography team spent one week in PNG capturing the transformation completion of the PNG LNG project and Oil Search’s other operations, community and sustainability initiatives.

The 2014 Oil Search Annual Report was utilised by the company to communicate to shareholders, potential investors, analysts and employees, as well as the local PNG and MENA communities in which they operate. It was extremely well received and exceeded the client’s expectations.

We were proud to hear our client received a letter from a UK shareholder, thanking them for the “most attractive and distinctive cover design”.

Our client was excited by the concept and unique treatment applied to the cover. They were surprised to learn about the Queen Alexander Butterfly and were amazed by its beauty and appreciated the research, thinking and creative effort we had undertaken to capture the key thematic for the report.