Aurum: Redefining Luxury with Gold Leaf Packaging

LLAB Design Ltd's Innovative Approach to Premium Edible Gold Leaf Packaging

Gold leaves, with their shininess and rarity, have traditionally symbolized prestige, luxury, and high quality. LLAB Design Ltd sought to encapsulate these qualities in the packaging of Aurum, a brand of premium edible gold leaves. The design inspiration was drawn from the labor-intensive process of making gold leaves, which involves hammering a piece of gold over 20,000 times to achieve the finest quality and thinnest texture. The gold foil graphics on the packaging, therefore, have an irregular shape to reflect this process. The structure of the packaging box was influenced by the design of jewelry boxes to enhance the luxurious touch.

The Aurum project presented an opportunity for the client, a manufacturer of gold leaf, to transition from a business-to-business model to a business-to-consumer model. LLAB Design Ltd recommended the development of a new brand that would sell premium edible gold leaf directly to customers. The resulting product was a premium gift box designed with glamour and elegance, made of edible grade material, and accompanied by a bespoke tweezer for easy application of the gold leaves.

The realization of the Aurum design required a luxurious touch to appeal to customers. The box was sealed with an anodized golden metal plate engraved with the brand name, which also functioned as a magnetic lock for the packaging. The outer texture was achieved through several gold foil stamping effects on textured paper, with a touch of spot UV to create a unique hand feel. The package box was designed in several layers, with a small ribbon holding a tweezer for picking up the gold leaf, and a second layer of translucent paper stamped with the brand name to protect the gold leaf and enhance the product's high-class image.

One of the significant challenges faced during the design process was ensuring the color stayed on the silver foil. The designers wanted to go beyond the ordinary by using a matte texture paper with silver foil, then applying 4C printing on the foil to add different gradients of gold colors. This innovative approach required extensive research on the characteristics of gold leaves, including the manufacturing process and usage, as well as various food-grade materials for the packaging.

In conclusion, the Aurum project by LLAB Design Ltd successfully transformed gold leaf from a raw material into a prestige gift. The premium packaging, which includes the highest purity 23.75k pure gold leaf and a special tweezer, offers a luxurious touch to cuisine and delivers an indulgent experience to those seeking an extraordinary luxury gift. This innovative product design has redefined the concept of luxury, earning it the Golden A' Luxury Design Award in 2021.