Brand: Unison Colour

The Unison Colour business began when John Hersey decided that the manufactured pastels available on the market broke too easily and were not consistent in texture. For several years he worked on methods of production, exploring colour sequences and developing the texture of his pigment mixtures. In 1987 he decided to offer the results to fellow artists. He took the original range of colour sets made from 117 pastels, and displayed them on his kitchen dresser at an art materials show in London. To his surprise and satisfaction there was an immediate interest.

Initially the pastels were all made in the rooms of his house, along with using the spare bedroom for packing and storage. Now, as a result of successful growth they have another workshop and a dedicated packing room. The pastels can be bought in pre-assembled sets for a specific drawing purpose, or selected individually. George Weil & Sons Ltd are unique in Surrey for carrying the full range in stock and our customers often travel from as far as Southampton to pick out their colours!

The pastels are made in the heart of the Northumberland National Park in England. It is a wild and beautiful part of north England, close to the Scottish border. The landscape is of rolling hills and moorland reaching up to the heights of the Cheviot Hills.

Statement issued by Unison Colour Pastels Limited March 2026

‘Unison Colour has traded since 1987. It has done so in the form of a limited company, Unison Colour Limited, since 2001 under the control of its two directors.’

‘In order to save the brand, the directors decided to sell the intellectual property rights, assets and stock rather than see the brand disappear. Unison Colour Pastels Limited purchased all of the same on 19 December 2025. It meant that we were able to keep all of the staff, unique recipes and the continuation of the Unison Colour brand that we love so much.’