Asahi Super Dry reinvents beer drinking with Pixel Art edition can launch

In celebration of the Year of Dragon, Japan’s beer brand Asahi Super Dry has collaborated with the Japanese pixel artist Hermippe to reinvent beer drinking with the launch of a brand-new Pixel Art edition can.

These exclusive design beer cans are available in the Asia-Pacific region including Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore.

The Pixel Art edition can features a complex artistic illustration of a pixel dragon to inspire and excite people about the festive time and to welcome the new year, opening new vistas of creativity with the quick peak and clean finish Super Dry taste.

In fact, this collaboration with Hermippe demonstrates Asahi Super Dry’s ambition to promote the vibrancy that modern Japan stands for, a place where innovation meets reinvention.

Originally associated with Japan’s 1970s videogame culture, Pixel Art is an art form that offers almost unlimited artistic potential and represents the same progressive mindset as Asahi Super Dry, according to the release.

In line with the brand’s aim to motivate people to look for something beyond the expected, Hermippe’s designs focus on understanding the limitations and searching for new methods in daily life. Asahi Super Dry is unleashing the dragon’s potential and breathing fiery new life into a once predictable festival motif.

As part of the packaging design, the shape-shifting pixel dragon reflects modern Tokyo’s irrepressible and ever-changing nature, which also resonates Asahi Super Dry’s innovative and daring approach. Hermippe’s intricate dragon design uses “mixel”, which is a technique that combines several types of dot sizes to create a complex and figurative illustration.

To further showcase this brand ethos of being forward-looking, the campaign's key visual also depicts a futuristic Tokyo cityscape drawn with crisp lines in a flat composition, reminiscent of traditional Japanese painting and woodblock prints.

Additionally, the fusion of vibrant red colour along with the iconic silver of Asahi Super Dry used throughout the campaign delivers a festive atmosphere while also elevating the cans to become cherished mementoes.

Loretta Lee, marketing director, Asahi Beer Asia, said, “At Asahi Super Dry, our unwavering commitment lies in prioritising our consumers and continuously seeking innovative ways to engage with them. As we embrace the joyous occasion of the Lunar New Year, traditionally cherished for fostering bonds with family and loved ones, we seize this opportunity by evoking a sense of modernity by reimagining the festival through pixel art, bringing modern yet familiar experience to consumers,” Lee added.

Hermippe said, “I sense a clear connection between Asahi Super Dry and my own art. Due to the nature of Pixel Art, I must create my art with a restricted range of elements, but I constantly hone my techniques to unlock greater potential from every single pixel. Just like Tokyo, which cherishes traditions but never hesitates to innovate, both Asahi Super Dry and I share a strong desire to progress and constantly refine ourselves. My artwork for Lunar New Year was inspired by modern Tokyo and Asahi Super Dry’s proactive philosophy to create such cutting-edge cityscape visuals and continue to push forward as an artist each and every day.”

Related articles:

Asahi Super Dry celebrates CNY with limited edition packaging design
Asahi launches fresh new look and taste for Asahi Super Dry