Gold Giftware Design · 2026
Year Of The Snake Red Packets
- A' Design Award 2026 Gold Winner in Giftware Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: House of Forme
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 40,547
- Verification code 2733AA834F · Verify this award
About Year Of The Snake Red Packets
Shedding the literal skin of zodiac iconography, this red packet series for the Year of the Snake is a reinterpretation. Across 16 packets and 4 visual themes, the serpent's essence is conveyed: fluid grace intertwined with enduring floral motifs. Drawing inspiration from the ouroboros symbol, the designs subtly reference cycles of repetition and renewal. The subtle acknowledgement of the Year of the Snake allows for the packets' use beyond the new year. The narratives embedded within each design add a layer of depth and intrigue to the collection.
Frankie Leung's Year Of The Snake Red Packets represents a distinguished contribution to the tradition of ceremonial gift packaging, demonstrating how contemporary design sensibilities may engage with enduring cultural practices while honoring their essential spirit and significance. The collection situates itself within the rich heritage of lunar new year celebrations, where the exchange of red packets embodies wishes for prosperity, good fortune, and auspicious beginnings, yet the designer's approach transcends mere functional containment to create objects worthy of contemplation and preservation. The botanical illustrations adorning each packet reveal accomplished draftsmanship and sophisticated color orchestration, with lotus, lily, and anthurium forms rendered through a visual language that synthesizes Art Nouveau's organic fluidity with modern graphic precision. Particularly noteworthy is the integration of serpentine motifs—honoring the zodiac year being celebrated—woven subtly through the compositions rather than presented as literal or dominant imagery, suggesting a nuanced understanding of symbolic integration. The color palette demonstrates exceptional range while maintaining cohesive harmony: warm reds and magentas traditional to the occasion appear alongside unexpected turquoise, cream, and green passages that expand the chromatic vocabulary without abandoning cultural appropriateness. Material considerations evidence similar thoughtfulness, with apparent texture variations suggesting specialty paper stocks chosen for both tactile pleasure and visual interest. The presentation system, with charcoal boxes featuring die-cut windows revealing packets within, creates ceremonial reveal moments that elevate the act of gift-giving itself. The measured typography and subtle gold foil details speak to premium production values executed with restraint. Viewers might consider how such objects bridge functional purpose and aesthetic contemplation, transforming ephemeral exchange into lasting material culture.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This self-initiated series offers a unique perspective on snakes, embodied in our newest bespoke-designed red packets for the Year of the Snake. Featuring 16 red packets across four distinct key visuals, our design captures the fluid grace of the snake and the timeless beauty of floral cycles. The subtle celebration of the Year of the Snake allows the packets to be used throughout the year, while the unique stories behind each design bring a thoughtful and intriguing touch to the set.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The case measures 202mm in height & 94mm in width, finished with matte UV & gold foil detailing. The red packet holder has a width of 514mm & a height of 192mm when fully extended. Our company information & background story of the red packets are highlighted with gold foil. The finished dimensions of each red packet are 89mm in width & 172mm in height. The red packets are crafted from 100gsm AstroSilver paper sourced from a local paper company, & are embellished with foiling & matte UV coating.
- Tags
- Branding, design, festive, red packets, Chinese New Year, Year of the Snake, festive product, festive design, gift
- Production Technology
- To embody our commitment to sustainability, each red packet is made in FSC-certified paper and the holder is crafted from recyclable materials. To bring the serpent details alive, matte UV finishes are incorporated alongside red, silver, and gold foil accents in specific areas. The design highlights the distinctive tongue, teeth, eyes and tail of the serpent. This thoughtful approach creates a subtle yet immersive atmosphere for the Year of the Snake.
- Design Challenge
- To differentiate from typical red packets and to achieve a harmonious balance between the snake and floral motifs, meticulous details are incorporated throughout the set, each conveying diverse blessings for the year ahead. Flickering snake tongues are hidden in the orchid as a symbol of guidance; sharp teeth concealed within the lilies foster growth; blinking snake eyes integrated into the lotus embody rebirth; snake tails disguised as anthurium pistils, bestow power & fertility upon the year.
- Project Duration
- The is designed in late 2024, produced and distributed in early 2025.
- Operation Flow
- This New Year's gift is designed for year-round use. Removing the slide-out package unveils a red packet holder. The holder employs an "M-fold” structure, allowing recipients to view all four unique designs at once when unfolded. Each section securely holds four red packets, and once emptied, reveals a description of the design, providing insight into the story behind the red packet's artwork.
- Research
- Protected by a hardbound, slide-out package, the red packet set’s packaging takes inspiration from a snake shedding its skin. The "M-fold" structure of the red packet holder artfully mimics the sinuous movement of a snake, symbolically carrying blessings through the changing seasons. The red packets are crafted from four different textured pearlescent papers, harmonising beautifully with the shimmering scales of a snake.
- Inspiration
- Drawing inspiration from the ouroboros, a timeless symbol depicting a serpent devouring its own tail, which signifies cycles of repetition, renewal, and the infinite passage of time, we pay homage to the essence of renewal and celebrate the arrival of the Year of Snake. The imagery of snake scales are concealed within the four different blossoms by season, connecting the intricate grace of the snake to the eternal cycle of blooming flowers.
- Image Credits
- Photography by Vizion Creation
Colors of Year Of The Snake Red Packets
Grand Interview about Year Of The Snake Red Packets
The ouroboros, a snake consuming its own tail, represents the eternal cycle of life. Like a snake shedding its skin, the arrival of a new year marks a never-ending cycle and a reminder of renewal. This symbol is further inspired by the four seasons as a natural expression of cyclical continuity.
The snake is a powerful figure, yet we were deliberate about avoiding anything overtly threatening. Instead, the sharp features of the snake are embedded subtly within each seasonal blossom, functioning as hidden quirks.The design strategy is restraint. Details don't appear all at once. This layered approach ensures the composition doesn't overwhelm. Research is heavily done from how the snake becomes a secret language within the florals, powerful precisely. They are all connected.
Red packets are traditionally single-use objects, thus we wanted to challenge that. Subtle design cues and refined aesthetics encourage owners to hold onto them, to reuse them year after year. We used FSC-certified recyclable paper throughout. It is of a higher cost, but environmentally responsible. However, sustainability isn't only about green materials. A well-crafted object naturally encourages people to keep it. That longevity becomes sustainability. The materials are made to withstand time and reuse. In that sense, the cost is justified, for you're not buying something disposable.
Our goal with the Year of the Snake set was to move away from literal zodiac clichés and treat the red packet as a high-concept piece of functional art. To bring this to life tactically, we engineered a slide-out case inspired by a snake shedding its skin. Pulling it open reveals an "M-fold" structure that mimics a snake’s winding movement, displaying all the designs at once. By combining iridescent with rich foil accents, we transformed a traditionally disposable festive envelope into an enduring narrative piece.
A strong printing partner was essential to execute the work at the required quality. Beyond production, our deep studio understanding of print mechanics informed every user experience decision. We knew what the format could hold, what the material could express, and how each choice would land in someone's hands.The packaging had to work. We compressed different layers of messaging into a small format, creating a visual and tactile language where every detail carries weight. Typography, paper texture, color, the physical unfolding, each element whispers the same narrative, building meaning through layers that reveal themselves gradually.
Self-initiated work means complete control: budget decisions and quantity choices rest entirely with the studio. We use it to showcase another side of the agency. Our personal branding, taste, and full capability without compromise.When there's no external client setting parameters, the studio becomes its own most demanding client. We challenge ourselves harder than any external constraint would. The result is work that reveals who we are, what we believe in, and what we're capable of when creativity isn't negotiated.
This self-initiated project serves as both a proof of concept and a demonstration of House of Forme's full-service capability. More importantly, it communicates our core beliefs to clients: that eco-friendly practices and thoughtful recycling are foundational to how we work.The Year of the Snake red packets showcase our design philosophy and sustainability ethos through a single object. The framework we developed to embed symbolism into familiar formats, encouraging reuse through beauty, making sustainability inseparable from craft is transferable. It is a methodology for reimagining traditional gifting formats beyond red packets.
Paper selection required juggling multiple demands: it needed to evoke snake patterns and texture, meet sustainability criteria, and suit the red packet folding requirements. We chose pearlescent papers based on narrative logic. The sheen directly references snake scales, while the luminosity captures the energy of the season. Form and concept merge in material choice. Foiling is applied strategically to highlight illustration detail, drawing the eye to the symbolic elements we embedded, and elevating the premium register of the collection. Every material decision carried the story forward.
To us, user experience is woven throughout, from the stock, the fold, to the reveal sequence. The packaging tells the story so the recipient fully understands the narrative.The M-fold sections progressively reveal written descriptions of each packet. As recipients engage with the object layer by layer, they're rewarded with deeper understanding. Packaging becomes an experience that unfolds over time, not just a container.
Thorough research is non-negotiable for any project, any culture. It all comes down to understanding, even for the smallest details, the flowers, the objects. Before any visual execution begins, the designer must immerse themselves in the context.This is fundamental to House of Forme's methodology. Every design decision we make comes from research. We don't begin designing until we understand the story we're telling.