Happy Year of the Snake 2025
PROJECT LEAD / CREATIVE DIRECTOR / ART DIRECTOR | RAD+C
Distilled in the misty town of Maotai, Guizhou Moutai is the crown jewel of Chinese baijiu. stands as a symbol of heritage, craftsmanship, and national pride. In recent years, Moutai’s distinct prestige has extended beyond its homeland, its iconic red and gold label design appearing on drink menus (and expensive cocktails) in high end restaurants and bars across the world.
Every year I like to create a Lunar New Year artwork inspired by an iconic piece of Asian design. Guizhou Moutai unfortunately don't make snake wine, but they do have a label design that is instantly recognisable across Asia.
Snake wine created by infusing whole - preferably venomous - snakes in rice wine. The drink first appeared in China somewhere around 700 BCE, before spreading across Greater Asia. According to Wikipedia, the beverage is "usually, but not always, safe to drink."
Rather than a static or mildly animated piece of artwork, this year I wanted to take it up a notch. Enlisting my good friend and world-class 3D animator Matt Foley, we decided to take the concept and bring it to life in 3D. I led the concept development, provided storyboards, and references, as well as the label deisgn and end titles. Matt led all 3D design, rigging, and animation.
The core challenge with these designs is how much or how little to change them. Change too much and you risk losing the unique elements that has made these designs iconic in the first place. I changed the name to reflect the Snake Year, and played with fonts a little. Favourite fonts can become like old friends, and I hadn't had a chance to bust these out for a while.
The trademark logo actually changes from time to time. I wanted it to feel more Chinese rather than Western, but liked the idea of freshening it up a bit. This snake emblem is about halfway between Chinese and Amercian Traditional tattoo art. Note the '8's' that appear on the body - a lucky number in Chinese culture.
