Cleaver said China has invented the technology for making paper and the process of painting, therefore he combined these "old items which carry layers of meaning" to make his design for the Year of the Dragon.
This is his second time taking part in this contest. Last year, for the contest marking the Year of the Rabbit, he presented a print entitled Rabbit Moon, which he said was inspired by an ancient Chinese myth that a jade rabbit lives on the moon.
"China has the oldest and amazingly deep sophisticated culture, and this fascinates me visually," said Cleaver, who is also a fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers.
Noting that his Chinese zodiac animal is the monkey, the graphic designer, said that the characteristics of a monkey describe him very well and called himself "a fire monkey."