Given that proxies are increasingly visual, this presents challenges when working on your proxy within Workiva. “Design” in Workiva has specific rules to avoid Edgar filing errors that you should be aware of, including:
1. The “Blurry Image” Trap: Users often copy-paste from Excel or Word, resulting in low-resolution graphics. And SVG graphics are not accepted by EDGAR – only GIF and JPEG graphics are accepted – so if a proxy contains SVG graphics, Workiva will convert them to a GIF when it files them, which can result in “some loss of image fidelity.”
Solution: Doublecheck when you import images to ensure they will work.
2. RGB vs. CMYK: If your marketing team provides graphics in CMYK (standard for print), they will look distorted or “neon” in the Workiva web viewer and in the EDGAR HTML.
Solution: Ensure all assets are exported in RGB color mode.
3. Text within Images: The SEC’s Edgar requires “searchable” text. If you create a complex “Letter to Shareholders” as one giant image, you will fail validation.
Solution: Use Workiva’s text overlay features or keep all material text as actual text, not part of a flattened image file.
4. Floating Objects in EDGAR: In Designed Reporting, you can place a graphic anywhere. However, EDGAR is “linear.” If you don’t “anchor” your graphics correctly, they may jump to the end of the document or overlap text in the SEC version.
Solution: “Anchor” your graphics correctly. See this for more…
