Ronseal
Art Direction & Illustration
Ronseal is a UK-based company that specializes in wood care and coatings for both interior and exterior surfaces. The company was founded in 1956 and its headquarters is located in Sheffield, England. Ronseal is known for its slogan "Does exactly what it says on the tin", which has become a well-known phrase in the UK. We created a colouring book for all the DIY avoiders to colour in from the comfort of their sofa. Our insight was that people hate DIY, and will look for any reason to avoid it. The colouring book serves as a public relations tool that aims to generate interest and excitement in Ronseal products.
The fence is never far from Daves thoughts.
The visual design of the book draws inspiration from the Ladybird school books that were popular in the 1970s. I illustrated a range of scenes, including our cover hero Ron, a garden gnome rendered in a similar style. To enhance the vintage aesthetic, a paint brush publishers mark was created and typography that mirrored the style of the old books was employed.
The accompanying story centres around Dave, a character who reluctantly engages in DIY activities.
The book contained mostly blank scenes with slightly different lengths of fence panel to colour in. This playful idea aimed to convey the repetitive and monotonous nature of DIY.
Our ultimate objective of the project was to secure positive press coverage and editorial content in prominent magazines and publications for Ronseal. The project was entered into the 2017 Drum Roses Awards and gained two Gold awards.