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If the prospect of yet another assault course masquerading as a

team-bonding exercise is less than appealing, former ad man Harris

Raphael is offering a more creative alternative.

Last year, while visiting the US, Raphael found himself seduced by a

concept called Colour Me Mine, a paint-it-yourself ceramics studio

providing ’creative relaxation and social interaction’ for families.

Realising there was scope to develop the concept on this side of the

pond, Raphael bought the UK rights and has just opened the first British

Colour Me Mine in London’s Maida Vale.

As well as luring families to the studio, however, Raphael sees a

lucrative business in providing a venue for corporate get-togethers -

and let’s face it, pot-painting seems to be more relevant to creative

marketing than potholing.

Colour Me Mine provides 400 designs of raw pottery for aspiring potters

to decorate and glaze, leave to be fired in the kiln and then go back

and collect a few days later. There’s everything from fridge magnets to

teapots and, for the sad few who find the prospect too creative, staff

are on-hand to advise and instruct.

Discounts are available for party bookings and the studio can

accommodate up to 60 people. Prices vary but if you wanted to take 20

people to one of the studio’s private rooms for an afternoon, and get

each of them decorating a mug, it would cost something in the region of

pounds 400. And those obliging studio people are more than happy to

supply, at extra cost, whatever food or drink takes your fancy.

But perhaps the words ’mug’ and ’Raphael’ should not be too closely

linked.

He obviously learned more than mere account-handling skills during his

advertising years at Leo Burnett and Leagas Delaney; Raphael now

describes himself, Branson-style, as ’an entrepreneur’. He’s currently

looking for investors prepared to take the Colour Me Mine concept

nationwide on a franchise basis.