UNDP Funding Compendium 2021
Editorial design for complex financial information.
As the sole designer of UNDP’s 35-page Funding Compendium, I brought financial data, charts, maps and narrative content into one editorial system.
I started with a Word document and UNDP’s brand guidelines, and researched previously designed reports. The challenge was to make the words and numbers easier to understand for readers without specialist knowledge of funding.
Selected pages show how different forms of financial information are organized: composition, ranking, change over time and geographic distribution.
Thirty partners appear in one ranked view. The shared scale shows differences in total contributions, while the two funding categories remain visible within each bar.
A central total and a color-coded breakdown provide an entry point into the partner landscape. The page places the overview ahead of the detailed comparisons that follow.
Luminous violet, blue and magenta imagery establishes the publication’s character. White data pages create a contrasting space for detailed reading.
Shangning Wang and Pragya Mahendru reviewed my work. Their feedback emphasized keeping the number styling and graphics consistent, so the report would be easier to follow in print while remaining legible on screen.
This gave the refinement a practical focus: keeping the presentation coherent across pages and formats, alongside the task of making complex information more approachable.
Narrative pages combine explanation with financial comparisons. In the appendix, a quieter tabular structure accommodates detailed annual contributions. Together, these pages show how the publication handles different densities of information.
I completed the 35-page compendium in four weeks, including stakeholder feedback and final revisions, during my part-time internship. The publication brings the supplied content into section openers, narrative layouts, charts, maps and financial tables. I was the sole designer, with design review by Shangning Wang and Pragya Mahendru. Original report imagery and photography retain their respective credits.
Explore more workA second UNDP project, with a distinct editorial story and clearly credited contribution.