Whisky Advocate

New York

2025

For the Fall 2025 issue of Whisky Advocate, concept development and execution were led in close partnership with Vice President and Senior Graphic Designer of M. Shanken Communications. The collaboration produced two distinct features– The House of Suntory and Neat, Rocks, Cocktails– each offering a visual narrative that reinforced the Advocate’s refined voice across digital and print publication.

The House of Suntory embraced an interpretive form of storytelling. Process photography combined with illustrations and diagrams to break down distillery craft in a playful style. A palette of off-white and Sacramento green, paired with culturally resonant typography, grounded the visuals in authenticity while extending the narrative with subtle elegance.

Neat, Rocks, Cocktails spotlighted Scotch through adaptive design. The timeless product was reimagined with modernized visuals, staged against a glossy, rippled surface of deep red that created a reflective, dimensional effect. The result balanced richness and grit, transforming a familiar brand into a fresh and tactile visual experience.

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The Process

Early sketches and concept explorations shaped the final direction of The House of Suntory, with particular focus on the distillery’s physical setting and the five-part whisky distilling process.

The reimagined spread as an illustration.

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The Process

Initial concept exploration for the Neat, Rocks, Cocktails feature began with Johnnie Walker and expanded into a campaign encompassing four Scotch brands: Johnnie Walker, Oban, Lagavulin, and Buchanan’s. The project originated in print and was extended into interactive banner formats.

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Digital Banners