Jason Lyon x Royal Salute Whisky
Jason Lyon has always created his own illustrations to celebrate the Lunar New Year so it was a dream when Boundless Brand Design commissioned him to create the illustration for Royal Salute’s Lunar New Year 2025 Special Edition 21 Year Old Whisky.
The design team were looking for a refreshed and vibrant special edition gift pack that retained the brand’s elegant and luxurious characteristics. Jason’s brand of magical realism paired with his refined linework and vivid palette were the perfect vehicle for the 2025 edition.
To kick off Jason experimented with a few different directions in loose drafts before the Boundless team selected a composition to progress with and develop in to colour. The intricate design combines many iconic elements of Lunar New Year celebrations from flowers and lanterns, to fireworks and a wishing tree, with nods to the flavour profile of Royal Salute’s unique 21 year aged whisky, the brand’s own iconography and their Strathisla distillery.
Jason shared his thoughts about working on this project:
“Royal Salute has been a dream project of mine ever since I was a university student in 2019. This particular project holds even greater meaning for me because it celebrates the Chinese New Year. Having spent more than half of my life living in the UK, Chinese New Year feels both dear and distant to me in many ways. Researching, reminiscing about past memories, and creating these illustrations took me on a journey to reconnect with that part of my heritage. It also helped me realise the kind of artist I want to become in the years to come—one who bridges and celebrates the unique aesthetics of Eastern and Western art.”
On completion of the initial design Jason was then invited to build on his original illustration for a special Taiwan 23 Year Old edition. The gorgeous illustration celebrates the natural beauty of the island of Formosa and its unique fauna including the Formosan black bear, rock macaque and blue magpie.
The design for the Taiwan edition focuses on the phoenix symbolising luck, peace and revitalisation for the new year ahead, with the more tropical colourway reflecting the flavours of this particular edition. Altogether it is a beautiful evolution of the original design.
The stunning illustrations came together with the guidance and wonderful art direction from the team at Boundless Brand Design:
Jason has brought to life an incredible, vibrant and celebratory vision of Lunar New Year to the Royal Salute 21 Year Old pack this year. His brilliantly crafted illustrations tell a rich and bountiful story with depth and unique detailing. Jason was a joy to partner with on this project in every sense and really understood and interpreted the art direction given to create something eye-catching. – Boundless Brand Design
Take a look through the rest of Jason’s incredible portfolio here.