Seen from a distance by millions worldwide, but held by very few, the Oscar winners’ envelopes are truly some of the most uniquely printed pieces.
Last night, the world got a glimpse of these beautiful bundles as we nervously awaited the announcements of the 2016 Oscar winners (#LEO). We all know of the infamous golden envelopes that hold the fate of each nominee, but many of us know nothing about the envelopes themselves. Since 2011, Los Angeles-based designer Marc Friedland of Couture Communications has been creating the 24 envelopes that hold the names of the Oscar winners and has recently revealed bits of the creative process. Here’s a look into these incredible, one-of-a-kind printed pieces:
First things first, the creation of these envelopes that are each heavier than an iPhone involve 10 specialty processes. These processes include custom-made paper, hand-tooled die-making, laminating, hand-folding, hand-gluing, hand-wrapping, sheeting, hand-fed gold-leaf stamping, hand-fed embossing, and imprinting the names of the nominees.
The exterior of the envelope and its flap feature an Art Deco-inspired satin gold foil-treated frame with an ecru inset panel bearing the name of the award category—each in a richly appointed charcoal ink. The envelope contains a heavyweight ecru card with iridescent gold accents and gold leaf-embossed Oscar statuette, along with the phrase, “And the Oscar goes to…” In order to create a cohesive look, the names of the winners are printed in the same charcoal ink and mounted onto a matching, red-lacquered hand-wrapped frame, while the back of the card is printed with the award category.
Friedland has said time and again, “We appreciate the importance of the role of design that has continually evolved at the Academy. Since so few people actually ever hold these envelopes, I want everyone to get a feeling of how truly special they are.”
Get up close and personal with the Oscar winners’ envelopes and hear more about them from Friendland himself in the video below: