Apr 09 - Young Enterprise Company Produces First Ever Gibraltar Themed Colouring Book

Written by YGTV Team on 09 April 2015.

A team of Year 12 students from Bayside and Westside Comprehensives have designed and produced the first ever Gibraltar-themed colouring book.

“Colour With Max The Macaque” is the brainchild of Dimensions, a company formed last year as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme. YGTV spoke to Dimensions’ Managing Director, Christian Gomez (pictured below) about the project and his plans for the future…

“We wanted to do something unique and marketable…something that had never been done before in Gibraltar,” he says, explaining the inspiration behind the product which is now on sale in local bookshops.

The book contains colouring in exercises and a quiz about Gibraltar’s history and culture. Rhian Colton and Callum Smith, two members of Dimensions, produced the fun drawings which show Max the Macaque embarking on his adventures on the Rock.

So far, the project has met with success…

“We printed a first batch of 300 books but, due to the demand, we went on to print a further 600,” says Christian.

Speaking about the Young Enterprise scheme, Christian says it’s been a new and interesting experience to be involved in: “It’s been challenging but you develop many skills along the way…I remember I used to be embarrassed to speak to people I didn’t know while now I’m constantly in contact with suppliers and retailers. My confidence level has definitely increased.”

He also says that the project has forced him to improve his organisational skills.

“I used to be really unorganized but now that people – both customers and colleagues – are depending on you, you can’t let them down. You have to be quite disciplined…I didn’t know there were so many aspects to running a business.”

As for future plans, Christian reveals that Spanish and French versions of the book are set to come out this summer and there’s a possibility the team will develop the Max the Macaque character with his adventures even taking him to London.

“We’re looking to explore other avenues,” he says.

Although, due to the regulations of the Young Enterprise scheme, Dimensions has to liquidate once the project is over, Christian says that it can re-apply for a trading license.

“If we do carry on, we’re thinking of brining out shirts and other merchandise of Max the Macaque and developing more books. We hope this is the first of many to come.”

The book is on sale for £4.99 in the Gibraltar Bookshop, the Heritage Trust Shop, the Tourist Board, L Sacarellos, the Gibraltar Museum, MH Bland or directly from the Dimensions Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DimensionsGibraltar?fref=ts.