The ask

Starting off on the right foot. For a new central government inspectorate, the most important report to parliament is its very first one. This can make or break its reputation, and create an impression that’s very hard to unmake if things go wrong. Ofsted came to us looking for a safe pair of hands to design the Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

The task

Our brief could be distilled into three words: clear, crisp and professional. Not an easy task, as Ofsted was the conglomeration of four hitherto independent bodies. We had to bring this all together over 144 pages, with countless complex charts and tables, not to mention several hundred reporting points. Our design was driven by the need for accessibility and consistency. Centred around the subtle use of colour – a different one for each section, it was highlighted by a few call out boxes and images per section, and – most importantly – supported by pointer numbers preceding each paragraph.

The proof

The client was impressed with our simple and practical design. It survived its initial tabling in parliament and went on to become a much discussed and debated document. The benchmark has been set.