This event design was created for a baby shower for a local family adopting a baby from China. Angela, who I collaborated with, came to me with a pretty detailed idea for the invitations. She wanted 4 illustrations with the translations for the words Journey, Daughter, Mother, and Celebration:an introduction to both languages for the baby and the parents.

After the invitations were done, we wanted to create a large series of wine labels that would compliment the theme. For 18 very enthusiastic minutes, I knew I wanted to illustrate a dozen Chinese warriors and emperors for the labels. Big, bulky, moustachioed warriors. 19 minutes into this concept, it became clear that this probably wouldn't be the right way to welcome the arrival of a baby. This was, afterall, supposed to mark the addition of a family member—not some epic ancient battle. Our next idea—which we think might be a better fit—was to create Chinese Zodiac symbols for each wine bottle.

As a take-away, each guest got a pair of chopsticks.

This series was—to date—one of the most fun designs I've worked on, and seeing each illustration come to life was a thrill.

Illustrations by Jag Nagra

Photography by Jag and Angela Stephen-Dewhurst