Dragon Purple takes as its main motif the venerable Chinese dragon symbolic of prosperity, balance and the hope of a good future. Unlike Western traditions, East Asian cultural beliefs about dragons are wholly positive and it is a creature to be respected and admired. The purple colour was chosen on account of its traditional use for venerable things, such as royalty and as such this colour was appropriate to decorate the dragon. It also symbolises Chinese culture, one of the most ancient and venerable in the world.

I have tried to portray the dragon in a traditional pose and imagined as in the sky above Bradford. I have always admired the dynamic yet balanced postures found within Chinese art forms, and I've reflected that in the design too. Serpentine lines of power emanate from the creature, suggesting that it is bringing its prosperity to the city.

This design simply explores something fundamental in East Asian culture, and in eastern cultures in general: harmony and balance. In the dualist western traditions, harmony is gained only by the triumph of one side over another. Not so in the east, where harmony is already enfolded into the world and it is achieved, not by striving or fighting against the world, but by aligning oneself with it, and submitting to its flow. This is something I wanted to show quite strongly in this piece.

In July 2007, Dragon Purple also made the cover of Northern Exposure, a magazine that promotes Yorkshire and Northern England arts and events.