From Airport Chili’s to Annual Reports
Surely I’m not the only one who loves an airport Chili’s. That first sip of a margarita while you dream about your destination: for me, that’s when the adventure begins.
Calgary’s airport is home to two of the very few airport Chili’s in the country. And it’s my home airport, so I know them both well. When I learned I’d be project managing YYC’s 2025 Annual Report, I knew I needed to bring that Chili’s margarita energy to this project. This couldn’t be a dry document stuffed with data and details. It needed to capture the essence of the airport with the highlights, hurdles, and accomplishments that defined the past year.
This was a special project for me for another reason. Because I love airports. Like, I really love them. I love the feeling of looking around the terminals, reading the flight boards, and knowing I’m surrounded by thousands of interconnected stories. From the planes roaring down the runway to the complex, invisible machinery working behind the scenes to defy gravity. To me, anything feels possible when you’re at the airport.
Getting the chance to tell the story of a packed year for YYC? I’m not kidding, it was a dream come true.
And let me tell you, YYC packed a lot into 2025. It was a milestone year marked by welcoming 19.4 million passengers, launching 13 new direct routes, breaking ground on major infrastructure, and debuting a completely fresh brand identity. We needed to turn a big year into a compelling visual story. And we had a great plan.
Get To Know Your Flight Crew
Before launching a big project like an annual report, you have to know who you’re on board with. By connecting with the YYC team early and often throughout the process, we gained a clear understanding of their vision. They didn’t want a typical, text-heavy corporate report. They had just unveiled a vibrant new brand identity, and they wanted it to do the heavy lifting, taking readers along for the journey in a visually immersive experience.
Chart A Course
With our destination locked in, we drew up the plan. We needed a theme that could carry YYC’s major infrastructure milestones, ongoing progress, and bold vision for the future. We landed on "Elevate"—a word that perfectly encompasses the airport's momentum.
With our theme decided, we shifted to the visual execution: How do we take YYC's fresh brand guidelines and use them to take readers on a journey unique to 2025?
We leaned into the two things that draw the world to Calgary: the region’s iconic landscapes and famous Western hospitality. The final design weaves together topographic contours, organic textures, and layered imagery, using fluid flight paths and mountain silhouettes as a continuous thread to connect hard data with community highlights. To keep the pages dynamic, we broke text into scannable blocks with custom formatting that makes key statistics pop. Paired with authentic photography and brand illustrations, the layout offers a window into the airport's daily energy and bright, adventurous spirit.
Navigating Turbulence & A Smooth Landing
If you’ve ever worked on an annual report, you know the final stretch always brings a little turbulence. Last-minute data adjustments and final formatting tweaks are always to be expected.
Our secret to a smooth landing? Great communication. We treated the YYC team as true co-pilots. We checked in with each other regularly and when a sudden shift happened, we talked through it, found a solution, and kept moving forward together.
The Final Destination
Landing YYC’s 2025 annual report is something I feel very proud of. Together, we transformed a standard compliance document into a visual tribute—capturing the exact energy, wonder, and momentum that I’ve always loved about the airport.
Because when you're at the airport, anything feels possible. And as it turns out? An annual report can hold just as much magic as a seat at an airport Chili’s.