Bringing Australian Icons to Life - My Collaboration with Beechworth Honey

There's something magical about seeing your artwork come to life in unexpected places. Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Beechworth Honey, and the journey from initial sketch to finished product has been one of the highlights of my creative career.

How It All Began

Like many great collaborations, this one started with a chance encounter. I met the team from Beechworth Honey at the Life InStyle Trade Fair in 2024. Trade fairs can be overwhelming – a whirlwind of booths, conversations, and business cards – but sometimes you meet people who just get your vision. That's exactly what happened when I connected with Beechworth Honey.

The Creative Process

The brief was both exciting and challenging: create a design that celebrated iconic Australian imagery while maintaining the warm, authentic feel that Beechworth Honey is known for. I wanted to capture the diversity and joy of Australian life – from our unique wildlife to our beach culture, from the outback to our vibrant cities.

I began by sketching out various Australian icons: kangaroos, koalas, native florals, the iconic tram, beach scenes, and of course, references to Australia's beekeeping heritage. The goal was to create a cohesive illustration that felt both nostalgic and fresh, detailed yet whimsical.

The design needed to work across two very different products: a tea towel and their iconic honey jar label. This meant considering scale, color balance, and how the artwork would translate across different materials and sizes. It was a wonderful creative challenge that pushed me to think beyond my usual product range.

Collaboration is Key

Throughout the process, the team at Beechworth Honey was incredibly collaborative. We went through several rounds of revisions, fine-tuning colors to ensure they worked with their existing branding, adjusting compositions to highlight certain elements, and making sure the final design would reproduce beautifully on both fabric and labels.

This kind of collaborative relationship is what makes these projects so rewarding. It's not just about delivering artwork – it's about creating something together that serves the brand's needs while staying true to your artistic vision. Good collaboration requires clear communication, flexibility, and mutual respect for each other's expertise.

The Final Result

Seeing my "Icons of Australia" illustration on Beechworth Honey's tea towels and honey jars has been incredibly fulfilling. There's something special about walking into a store and seeing your artwork on a shelf, knowing that it's going to find its way into people's homes across Australia.

The tea towel has become a colorful addition to Australian kitchens, and the limited-edition honey jar serves as both a functional product and a keepsake. It's exactly the kind of outcome I'd hoped for – artwork that brings joy to everyday moments.