Our work with…
What if the company had an innovation culture as creative as its products?
Despite its long history of innovation—the first graphite pencil, the first paint in a tube—Colart was losing touch with what customers wanted from its products at a time when new materials and technology were allowing for more creativity than ever. Today Do This led a high-energy, action-oriented innovation sprint to gather actionable insights for its brands from artists with a range of interests and experience—from art students to hobbyists to professionals.
The day combined elements of creative play, design thinking and experimentation, allowing participants to feel comfortable and stimulated while giving Colart a clear understanding of customer pain points, needs, desires and even some concrete ideas they could build on. It gave the company a closer relationship with a group of customers it hadn’t genuinely connected with before. And by involving the chief executive, chief commercial officer and a range of employees throughout the day, it began to reignite the company’s spark of innovation.
The outcome
The 25 participating artists generated 68 actionable insights and ideas which Colart can draw from to develop better performing products, more sustainable packaging, and other commercially viable innovations.
During and after the event, everyone from brand managers to chemists to the finance team demonstrated a genuine commitment to customer-led innovation that they hadn’t shown before.
"There was a hustle and vibe which showed the teams that doing this kind of innovation isn’t impossible"
— Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer