The power of Word

Microsoft Word, the clunky word processing program that could never be creative…Or so they say. However, with a bit of imagination (and the right know-how) MS Word can actually be used to create well-designed documents. So, when SeaBird asked us to create templates that would let them produce reports and other documents in-house, we knew we were up to the task.

Working closely with our very talented Microsoft specialists we identified the key requirements for the template; it needed to allow the team at SeaBird to easily and quickly replicate the First Quarter Report for future quarterly reports, however, it also had to be flexible enough to allow them to produce other documents in-house as well.

The templates features a dialogue box which sets up the document, allowing the user to select a name for the document, a cover and internal images, amongst a few other key elements. A bespoke menu bar which houses all of the styles that could be needed, from headings and subheadings, to tables and new pages, giving the user a certain amount of design freedom within the pre-defined guidelines.

Along with a Word template, we also supplied SeaBird with an Excel template. The visualisation of data is an important aspect of the reports, therefore, an Excel template allows the team to replicate the stylised charts and graphs we had designed in earlier reports, reproducing the fonts, colour palette and styles to ensure brand consistency.

The menu and options are incredibly intuitive for both Word and Excel, so after a couple of hours of training the team is able to take the reigns and start using the templates to produce their Second Quarter Report.

Word can be quite a misunderstood program in the creative world! However, we know that a bespoke template can actually help a company to easily focus on their content and let the software deliver the design, helping to create any number of documents in house, without having to compromise the integrity of their brand.