They say it's what's on the inside that counts — and while this is especially true when it comes to red packets, many of us will also appreciate a unique ang bao design. 

Here are some you can look out for this festive period. 

Rolls-Royce 

Rolls-Royce definitely isn't skimping on their red packet this year.  

Stitched from a felt material, their red packet is embossed with a sleek Chinese knot design, finished off with a pop of gold in the middle featuring their brand logo.  

The Chinese knot used in this particular design appears to be a modernised version of the Good Luck Knot — which symbolises luck, prosperity and abundance.  

Flo 

Renewable energy company Flo's plantable red packets allow your prosperity to grow — quite literally.  

Not only are their red packets biodegradable, they're also embedded with vegetable seeds so you can plant the entire red packet and watch it sprout.  

Design wise, the red packets are the usual red colour and features the Chinese new year greeting gong xi fa cai printed in orange.  

Overall, it gives off somewhat of a rustic vibe, with imperfect textures that add a certain charm to it.  

Schroders 

Schroders' red packets take on an elegant water colour-theme this year.  

Coloured with shades of blue, pink and orange, the red packets feature a unique design of a tree branch transforming into a snake — a clever nod to the year of the Wood Snake.  

The red packet comes in two variations with the same theme — both featuring the same snake design and several other auspicious symbols like blossoms and peaches — topped off with gold details and well wishes.  

Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre 

Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre's ang bao looks cute, decorated with cartoon illustrations of Chinese New Year staples like hot pot, lion dance and treats — but that's not all.  

The red packet has a snake scale texture all over, and upon closer inspection, you'll realise that it can be 'torn' and unravelled  to form the shape of a snake — completed with colourful greetings and  illustrations on its body.  

Visit Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre's art installation at the Rooftop Garden from 10am to 10pm and complete a survey to redeem these red packets (limited to one redemption per person).  

Available from now until April 30, while stocks last.  

Asahi 

Designed in collaboration with Japanese art project Teradamokei, Asahi's red packets feature a playful and modern design this year.  

The red packets are embossed with monochromatic designs featuring the words 'Lunar New Year' among other festive symbols like lanterns, fans and snakes in a creative model-kit style.  

To make the red packets more unique, they also come with a set of Model Kit sticker packs which allows you to customise each red packet — making each of them one-of-a-kind.  

Purchase a pack of six Asahi Super Dry cans at participating supermarkets to receive these red packets.  

They are currently available at all major supermarket retailers islandwide — as well as RedMart and Shopee. 

Cycle & Carriage 

Automative company Cycle & Carriage's Citroen red packets carry a uniquely Southeast Asian flair with their Peranakan tile-inspired design.  

Not only are they visually appealing, but the vibrant motifs are also meant to be representative of balance and harmony.  

Royal Caribbean 

If you've been on the Anthem of the Seas cruise by Royal Caribbean, you'll probably recognise the giraffe that's stealing the spotlight on the cruise line's red packets this year.  

For those who aren't familiar, it's Gigi the Giraffe — an artwork installation that's featured on Anthem of the Seas cruises.  

Accompanying the iconic character, the red packets feature a combination of different elements all adorned with gold details ranging from Gardens by the Bay to flowers in bloom and of course — the Chinese character for fortune.  

These red packets come in two colour variations — a bright red and a deep royal blue. 

Audi 

Audi's ang baos are the epitome of chic minimalism.  

The red packets come in two colourways — both evoking different vibes.  

There's the classic red with their logo embossed in gold for those who like the usual festive colours, and the slightly more unconventional mustard yellow with their iconic hoops in a metallic black.   

Samsung 

Samsung's colourful red packets almost look like post cards with their variety of designs — none of which scream Chinese New Year in the most conventional sense.  

That being said, there are still a couple out of the lot that feature elements of the festivities — like pastel pink rabbits holding mandarin oranges and a watercolour-themed one with a black bunny riding on goldfish (which symbolises good luck and fortune).  

NCS Singapore 

Another red packet design featuring the Snakes-and-Ladders-theme, NCS Singapore's red packets feature a prominent golden snake on a reflective copper ladder as the main design.  

In order to allow the main design to stand out, the Chinese New Year greetings for these red packets are printed in gold on the back — with the quote bu bu gao sheng, da zhan hong tu — which translate to ascending step by step and achieving great excellence.  

For a pop of colour and modernity, the background of the red packet also features an abstract line art design in metallic blue.  

The red packets come in two colours: Red and gold. 

Shilin Taiwan Snacks

With an illustration of a kawaii snake as the highlight of the design, the Taiwanese street- snack chain’s red packets give off a cutesy vibe. 

Apart from the usual Chinese New Year staples like sycees, coins and mandarin oranges, the ang bao also features some of what appears to be the brand’s iconic snack: the XXL Crispy Chicken.  

The greetings on the red packet read: She me dou you, she me dou wang.

Get these adorable red packets with every $15 purchase at Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks.  

For context, she translates to snake in Mandarin, and this is a punny way of incorporating the zodiac sign of the year into the well wishes that are conveying abundance and prosperity (you can get everything, and everything will be prosperous).  

Soup Restaurant 

Soup Restaurant’s red packets come in two different shades of red this year — a classic ang bao red speckled with golden glitters and an elegant deep maroon.  

The design of the ang bao might be simple with no illustrations or festive symbols, but it’s definitely not dull.  

Embossed in big golden characters, festive Chinese New Year greetings take center stage here — with well wishes like xing fu yuan man (happiness and wholeness) and fu man ren jian (blessings filling the world).  

Link's Malls 

Link’s Malls’ red packets also come with a fun surprise.  

The exterior design of the red packet features blooming pink flowers detailed with fine gold lines and the phrase bai hua qi fang alongside its English translation (blossom in abundance).  

The ang baos come in red and pink. 

When you unfold the red packet, you’ll find that it becomes a Snakes and Ladders ‘board’ that you can play with melon seeds (a common Chinese New Year snack).  

You can collect these red packets at Jurong Point, Swing By @ Thomson Plaza or Ang Mo Kio Hub.  

More information on how to play the game can be found on the QR code printed on the red packet.   

KFC 

If you’ve been following the KFC x Mofusand craze, you’ll know that the fried chicken chain is also giving out adorable Mofusand-themed red packets with their Cereal Chicken meals. 

The adorable red packets come in two designs — one featuring Mofusand kitties wearing various KFC menu items as hats and one with them performing a lion dance.  

Both variations come with punny Chinese New Year greetings using the word ji (chicken in Mandarin), which sounds like the Mandarin word for luck.  

Ippudo 

Ippudo’s ramen-themed red packets also take on a cutesy vibe.  

Coming in a vibrant red, the red packets are embossed with bowls of ramen in gold, as well as a big daruma slurping up the noodles.  

For those who aren’t familiar, darumas are dolls that symbolise good luck in Japanese culture.  

To get these red packets, simply spend $50 at Ippudo ($70 at the Marina Bay Sands outlet).  

Accompanying the main design, the phrase xing fu la lai is also printed on the red packet, which translates to ‘pulling in happiness’. 

Dian Xiao Er 

Dian Xiao Er’s quirky red packets feature their mascot DD.Duck dressed as the God of Fortune while presenting a sycee to the recipient — alongside the festive greeting like gong xi fa cai and xi shi lian lian (good things following one after another).  

And as if that isn't huat enough, some designs also feature the mascot wearing shades that are printed with the Chinese phrase fa cai, which means get rich.  

You can get a set of these red packets (six pieces) with one Handbag and Fortune DD.Duck with every Chinese New Year set menu at the restaurant.  

RE&S

RE&S’ red packets this year are Japanese-themed, featuring a manekineko (fortune cat) as the main design.  

The ang baos come in three designs — all of them using a pastel shade (pink, salmon and baby blue) as their base with pops of colour and gold details to add to the festivity without being too loud.  

Each red packet shows the  manekineko with various symbols of good luck and prosperity in Japanese culture such as koi, persimmons, golden coins and darumas.  

Complementing the fun illustrations, the red packets also feature a punny greeting (in relation to each design) printed on the side.  

Order a Yu Sheng or Bundle purchase from RE&S to get a set of these red packets.  

Sentosa

Sentosa's red packets come in two classic Lunar New Year colours — red and gold — and might look at first like any other regular, albeit elegant, red packet. 

But when you take a closer look, you'll notice the intricately embossed details — consisting of flowers, palms and waves (very on-theme for the island of fun). 

The red packet is also printed with a bespoke four-character poem composed by Liang Wern Fook, a Xinyao (Singaporean Chinese folk song) singer-composer and Chinese literature academic in collaboration with Sentosa. 

Written in gold foil, the poem is meant to evoke a sense of joy and rejuvenation in sharing cherished moments with loved ones for Lunar New Year and the year ahead. 

The red packet can also be unfolded to reveal a QR code, which includes instructions on how to turn this red packet into a paper crane for some fun festive crafting. 

From now until Feb 12, you can get a complimentary set of these red packets with a minimum spend of $128 in one day at Sentosa ($98 for Islander members). 

More information can be found on their website. 

Jaguar 

Jaguar's red packet shows that keeping it simple doesn't mean it has to be boring.

To celebrate the Year of the Snake, Jaguar's red packets come in a classic red design — with the front part of the red packet completely embossed with gold details to mimic snake scales. 

A great thing about this design is that while it's very apt for this particular zodiac year, it's still subtle enough to be used for the following years. 

Mondrian Singapore Duxton 

To be honest, when I first laid eyes on this particular red packet, I thought it was from the Magnum ice-cream brand — probably due to the chocolate-brown design and golden embossed 'M' on the back. 

But it's actually from Mondrian Singapore Duxton. 

The front of the red packet features the hotel's name in gold, alongside a snake in the style of a Chinese calligraphy brush stroke — combining modernity and tradition. 

Hilton Singapore Orchard 

Hilton Singapore Orchard's red packets come in two colours — a festive red ideal for Lunar New Year and deep royal blue that somewhat evokes a feeling of quiet opulence. 

Both versions are decked out in what seem like vanilla orchids, which according to some sources, symbolise luxury and richness. 

Some of the flowers are a pastel yellow colour and lined with gold details, and some are monochromatic with the red packet's background, which helps to add a little more depth and modernity to the otherwise sophisticated and classic design. 

Trust Bank 

Trust Bank's red packets are Snakes and Ladders-themed — a clever way to welcome the Year of the Snake because not only does it incorporate the zodiac sign of the year, ladders also represent moving upwards — a common theme in Chinese well wishes.

In fact, one out of three of their red packet designs include the quote Bu bu gao sheng, which translates to mean ascending step by step. This auspicious phrase is typically said to those who want to advance in their careers.

The other two variations of the red packet include quotes like she nian da ji (an abundance of luck in the Year of the Snake) and wu fu lin men (may the five blessings come to your home). 

The red packets come in three colours — orange, hot pink and a deep fuchsia — all of them slipped into a bright-blue sleeve embossed with colourful snakes, golden ladders and holographic tiles. When you pull the red packet out of the sleeve, you'll be met with a fun surprise. 

Spend a minimum of $88 on any Trust card and you'll get a redemption coupon to collect two sets of these red packets. Then, present the coupon at the Trust Experience Centre at one of these four Fairprice outlets: Vivocity, Paya Lebar Quarter, Hougang 1 or Jem. 

Available from now until Jan 26. 

Geneco

Designed with sustainability in mind, Geneco's red packet is made from 100 per cent recycled paper. 

Inspired by Singapore's green heritage, the red packet comes in muted maroon and blue colours — embossed with a golden emblem of what appears to be palm trees and the Chinese character fu (prosperity), to add to the Lunar New Year vibe without being over the top. 

The Geneco red packet sets are limited to the first 50 visitors who pledge their support and write a well wish at their Bugis Junction pop-up event, running from now until Jan 19 from 10am to 10pm. 

Mini

At first glance, you might not realise that this is a red packet. 

Unlike the long, rectangular red packets that we're used to, Mini's red packet comes in a square shape — and almost like an ode to their brand name, it's small and compact in size. 

Colour wise, the red packet also takes on an unconventional colourway — blue, purple and green with a pop of orange in the middle to add to the festive spirit. 

There's also a tab on the red packet that you can tear open to reveal a quote that says: "Let your good fortune roll in like a Mini." 

To stand a chance at winning these red packets (while stocks last), join Mini Singapore's Instagram giveaway by liking their post published on Jan 6, following their Facebook and Instagram and tagging three friends.

More information is available on their Instagram account. 

The Singapore Mint 

The Singapore Mint's red packet comes in the classic ang bao red that most aunties and uncles love to give out — with a dash of modernity. 

The main design on the red packet is a holographic snake, accompanied by other auspicious items like sycees, coins and well wishes.

From now until Feb 28, you can redeem two packs of these red packets at any Singapore Mint retail store with a minimum spend of $100 in a single receipt. 

Porsche 

Porsche's red packets might just be as sleek as their cars.

The red packet itself is somewhat simple — coming in a warm yellow colour embossed with a snake scale pattern.

The complementing sleeve is red and has cut-outs that would reveal the yellow snake scales when put together — creating a classy and festive look. 

Ya Ge

Ya Ge's red packets are one of the timeless ones that you can use any year — a yellow red packet decorated with plum blossoms and koi. 

According to some Chinese cultures, koi and plum blossoms are both auspicious symbols that represent good luck, prosperity and perseverance. 

To add a little something more to the design of the red packets, the koi's fins and scales feature reflective gold and orange details. 

EFG International 

This one is bound to make it to at least some of our mothers' Facebook or Instagram posts. 

Featuring an intricate lace cut-out in the shape of peonies as their main design — EFG International's elegant red packets are designed to symbolise the blooms of spring, which represents prosperity, luck and new beginnings in Chinese culture. 

And as a subtle nod to the Year of the Snake, a corner of the red packet is also embellished with a monochromatic shiny snake scale design.

Yishun Central Merchant Association 

Yishun Central Merchant Association's red packets are definitely a conversation starter — printed with caricatures of Member of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon GRC Faishal Ibrahim among members of the association. 

The red packets come in three designs all with a matte red background — and there's even one with just the MP. 

Each design features a different Lunar New Year greeting — all of which are well wishes for fortune and prosperity. 

These fun red packets will be given out during a walkabout in Nee Soon Central (Neighbourhood 6, 7 and 9) on Jan 25. 

carol.ong@asiaone.com

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