As you may know, Chinese has a system of 12 animal zodiac. 2012 is the year of dragon in Chinese calendar. As a result, we have designed a new lai see envelope for this year.

Detailed View of The Envelope

Main Design Concept of the Lai See Pocket

When designing a lai see envelope for the Chinese new year, it is very common for us to go to the conclusion of putting the corresponding animal of the year on the envelope. It is very true that it is a very nice way to create the design. In fact, we have also been designing the envelopes using this methodology.

A Design Without A Dragon Image

The year of dragon should be a bit different from the other years. The main reason is that “Dragon” is an imaginary animal. And it is the only imaginary animal in Chinese zodiac. As a result, the treatment of design for the envelope in 2012 should be a bit different.

Since dragon is considered an imaginary animal, no one has seen a real one before (no one, probably ). We have decided to leave the dragon in the imagination of the people who give or receive the red packets. We have made the decision not to put the graphic or drawing of a dragon on the envelope.

Left:Front View of the Lai See Envelope; Right: Back View of it

Dragon And Chinese I Ching

I Ching is also know as The Book of Changes, Zhouyi or Yi Jing. It is a Chinese ancient book. It is believed that it is a book about fortune telling. The structure of this book is in fact very interesting. The main structure of this book is a set of oracular statements. These statements are represented by 64 sets of six lines. And each of these sets is called a hexagram.

Of these 64 hexagrams, there are few sets which involve dragon. In the first set, there is a statement “飛龍在天 利見大人”, this means that a dragon is flying in the sky and it will be easy to see great people. This is the main inspiration of the lai see envelope design.

The Actual Design

Details of the design when it is unfolded.

So, how can we design a lai see pocket for the year of dragon without showing the dragon? That is the question. We have put the four words “利見大人” on the envelope. As mentioned, these four words mean that it can be easy or convenient to see great people. And we also put some clouds on the pocket in Chinese style. This implies that the dragon is flying on the sky. However, we do not literally put the dragon on it. The dragon should be the imaginations of the people who use this red pocket. To a greater extend, it is a kind of wish that people who use the envelopes are dragons. The dragon is already here so there is no need to put it on the envelope.

Besides this main concept, we also make the envelope in the form of origami. This means that it is possible to unfold the envelope and it can become a piece of paper again. We keep the tradition of using gold and red color as the main color scheme of the pocket. And it is a very beautiful piece of paper after it is unfolded. As mentioned, adults will usually give the lai see or red packet to children. This idea of origami will make it more interesting when the children try to open the envelope!

Below is a video showing how the pocket is folded:

Since this wedding menu will be a part of the whole stationery set, the design of it will follow the original “Be Together” design. You can see the cherry blossoms, butterflies and also the phrase “執子之手 與子偕老”. Of course the double happiness symbol will also be printed on this menu. In order to tell your guests that this is the menu of the reception, the words “Menu”, and “菜譜” in Chinese, will also be printed on the cover of the wedding menu.

All the main graphic elements will appear in the inside of the menu. Without any surprise, the courses will also be printed on the menu. A Chinese style red color “border” is printed on the four corners of the right panel of the menu, with the courses printed on it.

What is special about this wedding menu is that we will print the individual guest names on it. As a result, it is possible to use it as the place card at the same time. You do not need to prepare place cards separately in this case. At the same time, we can also provide menus without guest names.

The design of this menu if mainly for a Chinese style reception. As a result, it will look a bit more Chinese when it is compared with the original wedding invitation design. We can also keep the original orange color design. You can contact us so that we can discuss more about the design.

Invitation Specifications
Product No.: MC18033 Menu

Sizes
Menu: 5.7″ (W) x 5.7″(H) (after folded)
Envelop: Not included

Paper Stock
Cover: 250gsm gold color pearlised paper

Production Detail
Cover with full color printing on BOTH sides.

Red Pocket Product code: 65105W-1001
Finished Size: 65mmx105mm
Paper: 120gsm light purple color pearlised paper
with Peony flower pattern and double happiness in champagne gold color hot stamping

Red Pocket Design Product code: 65105W-1002
Finish Size: 65mmx105mm
Paper: 120gsm white gold color pearlised paper
with Peony flower pattern and double happiness in champagne gold color hot stamping

A red pocket needs not to be red in color. Of course it is something Chinese. However, it does not mean that you need to get something which is red in color. You may not want to have a red color Lai See envelope if you are not going to have a gold or red color wedding invitation.

As a matter of fact, it is very popular for brides and grooms to choose wedding cards which are off-white or purple in color. We have created two Lai See envelope designs in order to cater for these choices. These envelopes are in pearlised off-white and purple color. These two designs will certainly suit couples who are going to have modern Chinese wedding invitations without any red color.

Although there is no red color, the design of the envelopes is of modern Chinese style. Red pockets are something very Chinese at the end of the day. Beautiful peony patterns are printed on the envelopes. The are printed with emboss method. A raised effect will be seen on the envelopes. At the same time, a double happiness symbol is printed with champagne gold color foil. This will keep the idea of being modern Chinese while it will not be too traditional!

This is our new design Christmas Card with Christmas tree as the main symbol.

Please click the following thumbnails to view the enlarged versions of the images.

There are certainly various options when it comes to Christmas greeting cards. Usually, you will see elements such as Xmas trees. They will be printed on the card. For this particular design, we do not print the tree. Instead, we make the Christmas tree as an embellishment of the card.

The shape of the tree is simple and geometric. In fact, we do this because we do not want to make the card too fancy. We would like to have a simple feeling when you see the design. Without any surprise, the tree will be green in color. You may ask how the tree will be fixed on the card. A red color ribbon is used in this case. It will be used to tied the tree on the card front.

Besides the tree, only a few words are printed on the front of this Christmas greeting card. Xmas is highly related to the colors red and green. As a result, we also use these colors to design this card. Two pieces of off white pearlised card are glued on both sides of a deep red color card. The card in the middle is bigger than the two pieces of off-white cards. To this end, a deep red color border will be seen on both sides of the greeting cards. You can write your own message on the back of the card.

Use This Design As Your Wedding Invite

Alternatively, it is also possible for you to make this design a Christmas wedding invitation. In this case, we can print your wording on the card back. This will be something excellent for your Xmas themed wedding.

Usually, we would see Lai See Envelope in gold or red color. For this particular design, we try a different media to recreate an Asia taste:

Beautiful Lai See Envelope

Deep red color paper (100% recycle material) is chosen as the material to make this Lai See envelope. This makes this envelopes a lot more eco-friendly. As mentioned, this type of small envelope is usually of gold or red color. We still keep this idea of red color in order to express the idea of celebration. Yet, the kind of red is a deep red, which is a bit different from the norm.

It is a four folded design. Folding the four ends of the small envelope will close the pocket. When it comes to a Lai See envelope, this kind of folding method is very unique. Most red pockets are folded like a normal envelope.

A dancing phoenix is printed on the front of the envelope. The phoenix is printed in a deep red color. The color is in fact a bit darker than the material of the envelope. This will help to create two different tones of red color. In fact, the phoenix pattern is a bit glossy on the matt paper. The visual contrast between the pattern and the red color paper is very subtle. This creates a very beautiful visual effect. A red phoenix on a red piece of paper.

Now, let us talk about the pattern itself. Again, it is in the form of a paper cutting pattern. This is not only something elegant, it also delivers a Chinese sensation. As a matter of fact, paper cutting patterns always remind us the idea of Chinese culture.

As you may know, a phoenix is a symbol of celebration and wedding in Chinese culture. This is why we choose this pattern for the design of this small pocket. This Lai See envelope will suit your needs no matter you are going to have a Chinese or Asian themed wedding.