Good wishes are what a red packet is for
Red packets were first of all a way to pass on good wishes. In the joyfold catalog, 49 red packets are filed under the theme “good fortune and blessings”, the second-largest group after corporate and brand packets. These designs are not tied to one brand or one year, so they can be used year after year, and for everyday giving beyond weddings, birthdays and similar occasions.
1. Greeting as the main design
The most direct approach is to let the text fill the picture. The 大吉 lettering packet has just two characters on the front: one huge “大吉” (“great luck”), its strokes built from bright red dots in a gradient. The 钱程似锦 packet collages a whole face of greetings: “钱程似锦” (“a bright future”, with 钱 “money” in place of 前), “平安喜乐” (“peace and joy”), “搞钱要紧” (“making money comes first”), “财富自由” (“financial freedom”) and more. The floral 万事如意 packet sets “万事如意” (“may everything go as you wish”) in calligraphy, vertical and centered, surrounded by fireworks and lanterns.
2. Good-fortune motifs
The God of Wealth, copper coins, gold ingots and the lucky cat are the most common wealth motifs. The lucky cat and coins packet lines up three columns of round coins with a line-drawn lucky cat head below. The God of Wealth packet on pink draws the God of Wealth and a treasure bowl in silver on a pink ground, while the laughing God of Wealth packet shows a colorful cartoon God of Wealth with open arms. The 招财纳福 packet overlaps calligraphy reading “招财纳福” (“attract wealth, welcome blessings”) with one large “發” (“prosper”).
3. Minimal designs and seals
A greeting does not have to fill the page. The seal packet leaves the whole face blank except for a gold square seal reading “平安喜乐”. The 柏康 packet has two lines of handwritten greetings on a red ground sprinkled with fine gold dots. The small-animal packet frames a small animal and two lines of greeting inside a thin arched line, leaving the lower half empty.
4. Playful text and puns
For younger recipients, a lighter tone works. The new clothes packet simply says “来，这是你的红包可以买新衣啦！” (“Here is your red packet, now you can buy new clothes!”). The 榴年大吉 packet shows a pomegranate in place of 流 in 流年 (“passing years”): 榴 means “pomegranate” and sounds like 流. Puns and casual wording make a packet easier to remember, but check every character before final artwork to avoid ambiguity.
Questions to ask when choosing a good fortune red packet
- Recipients: elders, staff, clients or children decide the tone of the greeting.
- Reuse: a design with no year or zodiac animal can be reused for many years.
- Color: besides gold on red, the catalog also has blessing packets with silver, black, blue and purple designs.
- Paper and finish: see the paper selection guide and the craft guides.
