Company: Pennon Group Plc - South West Water and Bournemouth Water

 

Awesome Water was created to fundamentally change how community engagement around water works. At the time, “community engagement” often meant a desk, a pop-up banner and a handful of freebies. Functional, but forgettable - and rarely impactful. I saw an opportunity to turn community events into genuine engagement experiences: playful, interactive and memorable, while still delivering clear behaviour-change outcomes. I conceived, designed and delivered Awesome Water independently - from initial concept through to production and implementation.

 

The challenge

Traditional community event models struggled to:

• attract attention in busy public spaces

• encourage meaningful participation

• create positive, lasting associations with water efficiency and the business reputation

• support consistent delivery across different teams and locations

The challenge wasn’t just to inform people - it was to engage them.

 

The idea

Awesome Water was designed as an experience, not a stand.

The concept was rooted in a simple insight: people engage more deeply when learning feels playful, hands-on and relevant to their everyday lives.

I set out to create a programme that:

• drew people in through curiosity and play

• worked for all ages, especially families

• balanced fun with clear water-saving messages

• could be delivered repeatedly, not as a one-off

 

What I did

I delivered the project end-to-end, independently.

• Developed the core concept and engagement strategy

• Designed the visual identity and creative approach

• Specified how the experience would work in real-world event settings

• Sourced and briefed a production company to build bespoke physical assets

• Handed the programme over for long-term implementation

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The outcome

Awesome Water transformed how community engagement was delivered and how the business itself thought about community engagement. It replaced passive interaction with participation, and information-giving with experience-based learning. The programme became a recognisable, flexible engagement tool that could be used across events and locations, drawing tens of thousands of people into meaningful interaction with water efficiency and the business.

 

Why it matters

Awesome Water shows what’s possible when creativity, strategy and delivery come together - even within practical, resource-constrained environments.

It demonstrates how:

• engagement can move beyond awareness to participation

• playful design can support serious behaviour-change goals

• well-designed experiences can be handed over and scaled effectively

 

How this reflects my work

This project reflects how I approach complex challenges:

• I spot opportunities others overlook

• I originate ideas, not just execute briefs

• I design with delivery in mind

• I build things that teams can actually use

 

I now work freelance, helping organisations turn traditional engagement into creative, high-impact experiences that people remember - and act on.

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Year: 2021- ongoing. I worked on this project whilst employed at Pennon Group Plc, the parent company of South West Water, the intellectual property of this project belongs to Pennon Group Plc.