Q&A partnered with Global Impact Collective to produce the African forest elephant status report for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a comprehensive, data-driven publication documenting population trends, threats, and conservation status across multiple African regions. The report required extensive editorial and design coordination, reflowing updated scientific content into a nearly 200-page publication while adapting the visual system to align with IUCN’s updated brand standards. Final deliverables included press-ready files for print and a high-resolution digital edition housed within IUCN’s database for global access and long-term reference.

Challenges Encountered

The project began with several layered challenges. The original designer was no longer available for updates, and the primary publisher had recently undergone a brand redesign that was not reflected in the existing layout. In addition, the original file was built to U.S. standard sizing, while the final report required a unique trim size that did not align with typical A4 or U.S. formats. Updated content expanded significantly, requiring the reflow and careful management of nearly 200 pages.

The report also incorporated complex mapping assets produced by two different map designers, one U.S.-based and one Africa-based, using different software and file formats. Late in production, digital file size constraints required optimization to meet strict download limits without compromising image clarity, data legibility, or text quality.

Solutions Implemented

Q&A assumed full stewardship of the report, adapting the design system to align with IUCN’s updated brand while maintaining consistency with prior publications in the series. We restructured the document to accommodate the new trim size, carefully reflowing content, tables, charts, and imagery to preserve readability and hierarchy across the full page count.

Our team coordinated closely with both map designers, testing file formats and workflows to ensure compatibility and consistency across all geographic visuals. As our familiarity with the content deepened, we proactively identified opportunities to improve alignment, consistency, and clarity across sections, offering editorial and design recommendations that strengthened the overall narrative of the report.

For final production, Q&A prepared both print-ready and optimized digital files. We addressed file size limitations through thoughtful image handling, compression strategies, and layout adjustments, ensuring the final digital report met IUCN’s technical requirements while maintaining the integrity of complex data and scientific text.

Relevance to SPU

• Demonstrates our capability to manage large-scale, data-intensive public reports that require rigor, accuracy, and long-term reference value

• Aligns with SPU’s need to evolve publications alongside changing brand standards while preserving trust and continuity

• Validates our ability to coordinate complex editorial, mapping, and technical inputs into a cohesive, publication-ready outcome