Brief

Decision Management Solutions, a US-based consulting firm producing technical reports, asked for a graphical Word report template that would be easy to edit and stand out from typical text-heavy documents. The design needed to feel simple at first glance, yet provide flexible elements—pull-out boxes, key-message panels, summary call-outs, legible tables and multiple page variants for different sections. A distinctive requirement was the first page: they wanted the report to start on page one and still read like a cover. We solved this by accommodating a narrow right-hand column for the table of contents and introducing a circular graphical frame that the body text wraps around—referencing the “D” in the brand name. The frame also accepts imagery, so editors can swap visuals without disturbing the layout. Overall, the brief centred on a report template that looks editorial, edits quickly for non-designers, and exports cleanly to PDF for client delivery.

Approach

We rebuilt the report as a disciplined, style-driven Word template. Theme colours and fonts established brand voice; a tight grid governed margins, columns and safe areas; and headings, lists, captions and table styles were engineered to preserve spacing during edits. The first-page concept combined two goals: a cover-style opener and an immediately usable report page. We implemented a right-column TOC driven by field codes/cross-references (update in one step), and created a circular graphical frame as a vector shape with appropriate text-wrapping—so copy flows around it while editors can replace the image (shape fill) without breaking the design. We added reusable pull-out and key-message boxes, plus page variants for data-heavy sections, narrative pages and image-led spreads. Protected regions safeguard decorative elements while leaving editorial areas fully editable. Document properties auto-populate client and project metadata across the file; headers/footers carry dynamic page numbers and document IDs. Finally, we validated print and PDF export so the first-page wrap, TOC column and tables render predictably on common setups.

Outcome

Editors now produce distinctive reports faster and with fewer formatting fixes. The style system holds spacing, the pull-out and key-message boxes keep emphasis consistent, and the first-page TOC + cover-style opener gives every report a strong start without inserting an extra cover. The circular frame enables text-wrap and easy image swaps, while table styles improve legibility for technical data. Because formatting is style-driven and fields are centralised, updates are reliable and exports to PDF are crisp. The template looks editorial yet remains entirely editable in Microsoft Word—ideal for a consulting team working at pace.