Universal Favourite (UF) has been appointed as lead design partner for LION. The three-year partnership will see the brand studio work across LION’s beverage brand portfolio, supporting strategic design leadership, brand identity, packaging, design systems, and creative stewardship across the portfolio.
LION’s portfolio includes brands such as Kirin Ichiban, Kirin Hyoketsu, XXXX, Stone & Wood, Four Pillars Gin, Hahn, Tooheys, James Squire, Little Creatures, and Furphy, alongside LION’s broader owned, distributed and partner brand network including Guinness and Heineken.
“LION is a dream client for UF,” said Dari Israelstam, Founder and Executive Creative Director, Universal Favourite.
“Strong creative ambition and culture across the business, and a genuine thirst to make great work that challenges the categories we work and play in. That shared ambition appetite makes this a hugely exciting partnership for us.”
James Cooper, Head of Creative Partnerships at Universal Favourite, said the appointment marks a significant moment and milestone in the agency’s growth, both locally and abroad.
“LION is exactly the kind of partner we’re built for. They’re ambitious, culturally relevant and operating at real scale,” said Cooper.
“This multi-year partnership reflects our focus on building enduring partnerships that deliver creative outcomes with commercial and cultural impact. As an agency, our ambition is to work with world-class brands, world-class teams and world-class ideas. We’d like to thank LION for choosing UF in that.”
“The strongest brands are built through strong relationships, strategic rigour and a shared commitment to long-term success,” said David Sutherland, Connections Director, Australia and New Zealand, LION.
“Universal Favourite brings together the creative thinking, design systems and operational understanding needed to build distinctive brands consistently across categories and evolving contexts. We’re excited about what this partnership can unlock for our brands and our business.”
“We want to work with the best partners to keep pushing the creative boundaries of our brands, and Universal Favourite blew us away throughout the RFP process,” said Angela McCarthy, Head of Design, LION.
“Their passion was evident in the way they continually took the thinking and the work a step further, not only to achieve the best result for us, but because they genuinely care about making the work and partnership the best it can be.”
The LION appointment follows a period of momentum for UF, including recent wins and partnerships with bamboo clothing brand Boody, founded in Australia, US vitamin chocolate brand Sourse, co-founded by American actress Sarah Hyland, sustainable energy solutions business Smart Energy, powered by Rinnai, and international brand launches across Asia-Pacific and North America with clients including Butter Baby, founded by Nick and Henry Burch, eBay and The Volte, and Best of the Bone.
The announcement comes alongside continued investment in the studio’s team and international presence, including Design Director Lucy McGinley returning to Australia from the UK, Joanna Nicoll joining the design team from London, and the appointment of James Cooper to support the agency’s growth globally.
