Designing a Pop-Up Book Report to Honor 100-Years of The Kresge Foundation

Managing and designing an award-winning annual report and pop-up book.

Graphic Design

A report spread featuring a pop-up of Detroit's cityscape.

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Client Type

National foundation

Location

Detroit-area

Services Provided

Book design
Concept Design
Data Design
Layout
Photography selection
Print production
Report Design

Project Team

Lead Designer & Project Manager

Sophie Greenbaum

Creative Director

Acacia Betancourt

The Kresge Foundation, one of the nation’s oldest and largest private philanthropies, was marking 100 years of strategic philanthropy in 2024. They needed a centennial report to both honor their historical legacy and showcase their vision for the future. The final product is a 100+ page book, featuring illustrations, pop-ups, photography, data, and stories.

What the Client Needed

The Kresge Foundation was celebrating its Centennial — a century dedicated to fostering opportunities across the United States and the world. To mark the year’s momentous milestone, a special annual report featuring a collection of 100 moments of impact from throughout Kresge’s history was to be designed as an illustrated report and pop-up book.

The cover of the Kresge report featuring a di-cut of the number 100.

What We Did

Developed the design concept of the book, including, typography, layout, and color palette.
Designed over 100+ pages of the book, collaborating closely with several vendors. Basecamp was used as our primary collaboration tool.
Partnered with several designers and vendors, providing feedback and direction. Those partners included:
- Paper engineer: Simon Arizpe
- Illustrator: Justine Allenette Ross
- Dimensional printer: Structural Graphics
- Commercial printer: ULitho
Set up the book for print production.

Several images of the Kresge report, including spreads, illustrations, pop-ups, and photography.

Our Impact

Won a 2024 Graphic Design USA award for the design of the Kresge Foundation’s Centennial Annual Report. The report was picked from among 8,000 entrants in the Corporate and Annual Report category.

GDUSA Awards official badge.

“It’s a beautiful keepsake and it was really an honor to put it together and to work with you all.”

Krista Jahnke, Communications Manager

For those of you who are interested in a more in-depth background and description of our process, the below text is for you:

Brevity & Wit’s design team achieved a remarkable honor, winning a 2024 Graphic Design USA award for its design of the Kresge Foundation’s Centennial Annual Report. Creative Director Acacia Betancourt and Senior Visual Designer Sophie Greenbaum’s work was picked from among 8,000 entrants in the Corporate and Annual Report category.

The magic behind this award-winning report came from seamless partnerships across disciplines. Brevity & Wit’s design team worked with paper engineer Simon Arizpe and specialized print vendors (Structural Graphics and ULitho) to create a stunning overall design that integrated the playful illustrations Kresge commissioned from Justine Allenette Ross. The team demonstrated remarkable versatility in blending these different art and design styles into a cohesive visual identity that remained true to Kresge’s vision.

What makes this achievement even more impressive is the project’s adaptability. Beyond the print edition, Brevity & Wit’s team translated the design concepts into a PDF for digital viewing and an interactive website, maintaining consistent visual language and impact across all formats.