Gap’s 2005–06 Social Responsibility Report (CSR Report) was created to provide stakeholders and other interested audiences with a consistent set of facts about past performance and goals for the future. The retailer wanted to go beyond disclosure of its practices and results to present its core challenge: how to balance a commitment to sustainability with market demands for low costs, high flexibility and fast turnaround of inventory. “The client wanted a design that would define them as a leader in corporate social responsibility—a design that would stand out from the standard CSR and disrupt the category,” says creative director Bill Cahan. “The large-format, black-and-white photography and 40-pound text paper stock give it the feeling of a newspaper, and therefore, a serious subject. The images of the thread, buttons and garment labels—all components of the product RED jean jacket—make the piece specific to Gap and create a story on their own [about] the making of a garment.” With this report, Gap validates the concept that being a good corporate citizen can be good business as well.by Terry Lee Stone