Blessing Gifts: A Unique Design for Chinese New Year Red Envelopes

An Innovative and Eco-Friendly Approach to Traditional Packaging

Blessing Gifts, also known as the Blessing Envelope, is a sealed design packaging that incorporates various elements of traditional Chinese culture in an innovative and eco-friendly way. The design aims to convey blessings and promote environmental protection views through its unique approach.

The inspiration for Blessing Gifts came from the designer's desire to merge tradition with modernity. By using traditional red envelopes as a base, Long incorporated elements of Chinese culture and symbolism to create a design that is both visually appealing and environmentally conscious.

One of the standout features of Blessing Gifts is the use of the "YEAH EP" brand cartoon character, a walking cloud named P. In Cantonese, the language spoken in Guangdong, China, P takes on the role of a monkey during the Chinese New Year of the Monkey. Through slogans and illustrations, such as "Don't waste new," P encourages a "very good" New Year, urging people to join the "Simon Monkey" environmental protection movement and embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle.

What sets Blessing Gifts apart from other red envelope designs is its commitment to environmental protection. The design utilizes green paper, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and eco-consciousness. By incorporating this element, Long hopes to raise awareness about environmental issues and encourage individuals to make environmentally responsible choices during the festive season.

The Blessing Gifts design specifications include dimensions of 85mm x 1mm x 165mm, ensuring that the envelopes are the perfect size for holding New Year's money and blessings.

Long collaborated with Yan Li to bring the Blessing Gifts design to life. Together, they worked on the technical realization of the design, ensuring that it met their vision and adhered to their commitment to environmental sustainability.

Blessing Gifts serves as a communication tool, spreading the message of environmental protection during the Chinese New Year. The design is distributed free of charge to both individuals and enterprises, with the aim of promoting environmental awareness through Guangdong's renowned environmental education platform, "Guangdong Environmental Protection and Guangdong Fashion." By doing so, Long and his team hope to inspire individuals to prioritize environmental consciousness and understand the significance of protecting our planet.

The Blessing Gifts design project was completed in January 2016 in Guangzhou, China. Extensive research was conducted to ensure that the design captured the essence of the red envelope tradition while incorporating elements of Lingnan culture, a region known for its rich heritage and traditions. The design team explored various colors, materials, and patterns to create a design that reflected the charm and connotation of Lingnan culture.

One of the challenges faced during the design process was transforming a cloud cartoon character into a monkey. Finding the right facial features and expressions to capture the essence of the monkey was a creative and technical hurdle that Long and his team successfully overcame.

Blessing Gifts is a testament to the power of design in merging tradition and innovation. By reimagining the red envelope and infusing it with elements of Chinese culture and environmental consciousness, Long has created a design that not only celebrates the Chinese New Year but also promotes a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle.

Awarded the Iron A' Design Award in 2020, Blessing Gifts has been recognized for its well-designed, practical, and innovative approach. This prestigious award acknowledges designs that meet professional and industrial requirements while contributing to a better world through their integration of industry best practices and competent technical characteristics.