@lukas.mullen
Instagram · Split screen
@lukas.mullen Shoutout to the designers at Quartrs for bringing earnings reports design into the digital era
Trending short videosExplaining the evolution of reports
The edit1 shot · 44 text
Shots Text0:56
Performance
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- Comments
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- Engagement
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- Outlier
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- Length · 17 Aug 2026
- 0:56
Video #39567 · Split screen
Explaining the evolution of reportsfrom @lukas.mullen
[01]
Overview
The creator presents a historical analysis of corporate annual reports, showing how they evolved from creatively designed art pieces to standardized, boring documents. He explains the cultural and economic reasons for this shift (the internet, 2008 financial crisis) and then highlights a modern "renaissance" where a company is using strong graphic design to make financial data engaging again, concluding that good design is key to capturing attention.
[02]
Simple outline
- 1Contrast a 'golden age' with the present
- 2Explain the reasons for decline
- 3Showcase a modern-day revival
- 4Extract a universal principle
[03]
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Classification
[05]
Hook analysis
What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds
Title hook · 55%
Earnings Reports Used to Be Cool
Verbal hook · 30%
Corporations used to treat annual reports like modern art, but today it's just another spreadsheet.
Visual hook · 15%
A vintage, colorful photograph of the Disney castle from a 1981 annual report is prominently displayed, creating a nostalgic and visually interesting opening.
[06]
Hook template
Steal this for your own video
Used to Be
- — Business Cards Used to Be Prestigious
- — Job Interviews Used to Be Personal
- — Packaging Used to Be an Art Form
[07]
Hook and payoff
The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back
Hook
Present a stark 'Then vs. Now' comparison, framing a past practice as superior to its modern, degraded equivalent to create a nostalgia-driven curiosity gap.
Payoff
Conclude by abstracting the entire narrative into a simple, powerful, and universally applicable lesson about human nature, creativity, or strategy, providing a valuable takeaway for the viewer.
[08]
Narrative framework
The structural pattern this video runs on
Framework
The 'Lost Art' Revival
This framework tells the story of a once-great practice or art form that declined due to specific historical or technological shifts, only to be revived in a new, modern context by an unexpected player. The story culminates in a universal lesson derived from this revival.
- 1
The Golden Age Showcase
Provide compelling visual evidence of the superior past, establishing its quality and explaining the strategic 'why' behind its excellence.
- 2
The Catalyst of Decline
Pinpoint the 1-2 specific historical events or forces (e.g., technology, regulation, cultural shift) that caused the practice to lose its quality or relevance, providing a clear cause-and-effect explanation.
- 3
The Unexpected Rebirth Pivot
Shift the narrative from decline to hope by introducing a contemporary person, company, or movement that is bringing back the 'lost art' in a new and relevant way.
- 4
The Modern Validation Montage
Deliver a rapid-fire sequence of examples showing the modern revival in action, providing tangible proof that the rebirth is real and successful.
Themes
Techniques
Post caption
Shoutout to the designers at Quartrs for bringing earnings reports design into the digital era
Text overlays
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Earnings Reports Used to Be Cool
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Transcript
Corporations used to treat annual reports like modern art, but today it's just another spreadsheet. Pre Internet, these reports were the only touchpoint businesses had with best, so it had to communicate success, innovation, stability. So they went all out. Beautiful graphic design, expensive paper, bespoke techniques. Techniques. It was the corporate flex to make a coffee table book level report. Then two things happened. First, the internet made it so the physical report was no longer necessary. And then the two thousand and eight financial crisis spawned strict guidelines on the way this data is presented. So in the eyes of these companies, it became too much of a risk to get cute with the design. But the story doesn't end there because we're seeing a bit of a renaissance in this space. Because this random data storage company realized people pay more attention to data when the design around it looks good. No now tier entire content strategy is just making mock up designs for earnings reports, and they do respectable numbers on x. The story is exposing a fundamental truth about human nature that too many business people ignore. And that's that if you want people to pay attention to something, the first thing you have to do is make it fun to look at.