In 2025, the Corporate Communications team at DIC (China) Co., Ltd. explored new ways to promote the DIC Group’s Color & Comfort brand proposition among employees, particularly in China.
As part of this effort, the team launched a co-creation project with employees and their families across China, featuring children’s drawings in the company’s 2026 desk calendar. The initiative helped foster a sense of unity and warmth within the organization and beyond.
Serving as a Communication Bridge Across DIC China
Fu Xue joined DIC (China) Co., Ltd. in April 2024 and works with her colleagues in Corporate Communications & Marketing Dept. Together, the team supports internal and external communication while helping strengthen connections among DIC Group companies across China.
Fu Xue, Communications & Marketing, DIC China Dept.
“DIC China serves as the regional headquarters for DIC group companies in the China region, providing investment and management support,” Fu explains.
“Our companies are located across a wide geographic area, and each region has its own culture and working style. One important role of Corporate Communications is to serve as a bridge—helping people across locations feel connected and work together as one team.”
Within this context, the 2026 desk calendar project emerged as one of the team’s initiatives to support corporate communication and internal engagement.
Why a Calendar—and Why Children’s Art
In China, as in Japan, calendars are commonly shared with customers and business partners at the end of the year. The team saw this familiar practice as an opportunity to communicate DIC’s values in a more continuous and approachable way.
“A calendar is something people see every day throughout the year,” Fu explains. “That makes it an ongoing communication tool. We felt that simply presenting business information would not fully convey the spirit of Color & Comfort.”
With this in mind, the team chose Color & Comfort as the concept and explored how to express it in a warmer, more relatable way. Relying only on official visuals felt too formal, so they began looking for an approach that would bring the message closer to everyday life.
“Each of us on the team has young children,” Fu recalls. “We often talked about our children during breaks at work, and those everyday conversations naturally became part of our brainstorming.”
As the team discussed how to express DIC’s vision of a more colorful and comfortable future, one idea gradually began to stand out: using children’s drawings.
“Children’s free imagination and bold use of color resonate strongly with Color & Comfort,” Fu says.
“Children also represent the future, making their perspective a natural way to express the values we care about.”
She adds, “DIC is a place where business is conducted—and at the same time, a meaningful part of employees’ lives and the lives of their families. By inviting employees’ children to participate, we aimed to express warmth, trust, and togetherness.”
Seeing DIC ‘Like Magic’ Through Children’s Eyes
April: DIC’s products enrich our daily lives—almost like magic.
November: DIC’s PPS products support a wide range of applications, from automobiles and electronics to printers and wind power systems.
The calendar project officially began in October 2025. As it was the team’s first attempt at this type of initiative, the approach was intentionally kept simple.
“We weren’t sure what kind of response we would receive,” Fu explains.
“So initially, we invited submissions as part of our ongoing internal communication activities, without mentioning that the drawings might be used in a calendar.”
The theme shared with employees was Color & Comfort. To help children imagine possible ideas, the team introduced examples from DIC’s Japanese website “DIC in Everyday Life,” which showcases how DIC materials are used in daily products such as food packaging, cosmetics, automobiles, and electronics.
“DIC is a chemical manufacturer that provides materials supporting everyday life around the world,” says Fu. “We wanted children to connect their drawings with the things they see and use every day.”
The response came quickly. Once the invitation was shared across locations, the team received 50 artworks, each reflecting the children’s creativity and unique perspectives.
One illustration that left a strong impression was selected for April.
“In the drawing, a small wizard is waving a magic wand, surrounded by everyday items like food packages, books, lipstick, and televisions,” Fu explains.
“It beautifully captures how DIC’s materials support daily life—almost like magic. It was an idea that felt distinctly childlike in the best sense.”
Another memorable piece, selected for November, depicts a young girl holding hands with her father while talking.
“You can sense the pride the father feels in his work,” Fu says.
“The child’s smile conveyed warmth and trust—it felt as though she was saying, ‘My dad’s company is amazing.’”
The team also noticed how the drawings reflected the diversity of DIC’s businesses. Employees from ink-related businesses submitted colorful, vibrant illustrations, while those connected to resin-related businesses submitted images such as windmills and structures.
“These differences reminded us of the diversity within DIC China,” Fu reflects.
“And at the same time, they showed how that diversity can come together as a single story.”
From Recognition to Expression
DIC China employees who contributed their children’s artwork
Twelve drawings were ultimately selected for the finished calendar. According to Fu, the selection was not about judging artistic quality.
“Each month of the calendar introduces a different theme, such as DIC’s philosophy, history, or business scope,” she explains.
“We chose the drawings that best matched those themes.”
The remaining artworks are being shared through internal channels and social platforms such as WeChat and RED, ensuring that all contributions are appreciated.
“Through children’s eyes, DIC’s value was translated into the language of everyday life,” Fu says.
“That alone made the project meaningful for us.”
Once the 2026 desk calendar was completed and shared, the initiative received positive feedback from both inside and outside the company.
Through children’s drawings, many people felt that DIC’s values became easier to understand and more closely connected to everyday life. The project helped convey a shared sense of unity and trust across the DIC Group, reflecting the values embodied in Color & Comfort.
For the Corporate Communications team, these reactions confirmed that involving employees and their families created a shared experience—one that encouraged natural engagement rather than one‑way communication. The initiative was also noted internally as an example of how brand values can be shared in a more human and relatable way across regions.
She summarizes the outcome this way:
“Color & Comfort evolved from something people recognized into something they embraced —and ultimately expressed in their own way.”
Built on Everyday Communication
Fu believes the success of the initiative was supported by DIC China’s daily communication culture.
“I joined the company about two years ago,” she notes.
“Even though our sites are spread across a wide area, I was genuinely impressed by the strong sense of unity across the group.”
She points to ongoing efforts such as sharing news, workplace photos, and small everyday stories through internal platforms—activities that often inspire similar initiatives at other locations.
“Encouraging this kind of exchange is part of what Corporate Communications does,” she explains.
“When communication feels natural, people are more willing to participate.”
The calendar project, she says, built on that foundation.
Making Vision Something People Can Share
Team members (from left: Zhao, Fu, Zhou)
Through this experience, Fu and her team gained a renewed perspective on corporate vision and branding.
“Vision and values are often communicated in a one‑way manner,” she reflects.
“But for them to truly resonate, people need to feel involved.”
By translating an abstract concept like Color & Comfort into something visual and emotional, the project invited engagement from employees and their families alike.
“The drawings represented connections—between work and family, company and society, today and the future,” Fu says.
“That’s why the calendar became more than a promotional item. It became a shared story.”
Although the initiative began within China, Fu sees relevance beyond one region.
“Employee‑driven brand co‑creation can transcend national and cultural boundaries,” she says.
“I hope this experience offers a small hint for how brand values can be shared across the DIC Group.”
Looking Forward
Asked about future plans, Fu smiles.
“After such positive feedback, we do feel a sense of responsibility,” she says with a laugh.
“Our hope is to continue finding ways to involve not only employees and their families, but also partners and customers.”
She adds,
“Beyond providing advanced products and solutions, we want DIC to be a company that employees are proud of, customers trust, and the next generation can look to with confidence and hope.”