IBM's 2000 annual report, designed by Chicago--based VSA Partners, bears
a startling resemblance to an unlikely source: McSweeney's, the eclectic
literary journal founded in 1998 by Dave Eggers, author of the best-selling
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. IBM's report, like several
issues of McSweeney's, uses an all-text, center-justified cover,
varying only the type size and occasionally using italics. "I'd been
collecting old pamphlets, textbooks, medical manuals, and bibles, and really
loved that center-justified, announcement sort of look," Eggers
says, explaining how he came up with the design style that would go on to
capture the imagination of Big Blue executives.
"I think IBM is obviously trying to associate itself, in a very subliminal
way, with our semi-obscure journal, to boost investors' confidence,"
says Eggers. "Weirdly, this is our goal, too. We want only good things
for IBM. I think one of these days, they're going to be playing with the
big boys."
