Annual performance report

We produced an annual performance report that effectively presents United Utilities as a company committed to its values and which delivers on its promises.

Background

Superior customer service sits at the core of what United Utilities do. Recent years have seen the company deliver a series of major improvements and innovations, and the company is now on track to deliver its vision of becoming the UK’s best water and wastewater company, providing great service to customers as well as value for shareholders.

Challenge

United Utilities asked us to produce an annual performance report that would demonstrate commitment to their core values of integrity, innovation and customer service in a clear and memorable way.

Solution

We produced a report design that summarises key findings and presents United Utilities as a company committed to its values and which delivers on its promises.

The information and data reported amounted to a total of 168 pages, so we structured the content in a way that would appeal to readers and kept them engaged after every page turn. We placed powerful photography of United Utilities teams at work and engaging lifestyle shots of customers next to key statistics, immediately establishing a connection between the efforts of United Utilities and the benefits they create for their customers.

Thanks to clever use of illustrations and infographics, the vast amount of information flows seamlessly through the annual performance report, facilitating the audience’s understanding. Different corporate brand colours and icons allowed us to categorise the information and guide readers, helping them focus on different topics of information and contributing to a better experience.

We also created an abridged digital version for customers and shareholders to download from the United Utilities website, so we ensured the design could be adapted quickly and easily. This approach allowed us to maximise the client’s investment in the project.

“As a regulated business, it’s vital that we can share how well we are performing against the promises we have made to our customers and stakeholders.

In addition to supporting us to produce a document that reads well, with Plain English accreditation, the team at Parker helped us to achieve the right balance of copy, images and illustrations which makes for a very effective and engaging presentation of our key performance areas.

We’re really pleased with how the summary has turned out and feedback on the document has been great too.”

Head of Customer Communications at United Utilities.