Envelope Maker Marc Friedland Created an ‘Iconic’ Complement to Oscar Statuette
Marc Friedland used to be irked by the Academy Awards. Something was missing.
“The two most ubiquitous phrases that come out of the Oscars are: ‘The envelope please,’ and, ‘And the Oscar goes to,’ ” says Friedland, who has his own communications art firm. But the actual envelope? Well, it was nothing special.
“I felt that there was a great and missed opportunity to create an iconic complement to the statuette,” he says.
So Friedland convinced the Acad to let him create an envelope that would be both a beautiful prop for TV and a precious keepsake for the winners.
The result is a metallic gold wrapper watermarked with the silhouette of the Oscar. Its interior is burgundy, with golden Oscars stamped on it with a hand-sculpted die. Inside goes a sturdy 1/8-inch-thick burgundy card, with an affixed slip that reads “And the Oscar goes to … ” and the names of the winner.
From materials to function, every detail is meticulously planned. The foil paper comes from a boutique mill in Germany. The envelopes are gusseted to make them extra roomy, and the cards’ edges are waxed. No awkward fumbling with this envelope; the cards glide out.
Even the font is significant: Neutra, designed by the famous midcentury California architect. “We thought it was timeless but captured the glamor of the Golden Age of Hollywood,” Friedland says.
On the podium, Tom Hanks called Friedland’s envelope a work of art when it first appeared in 2011. But the envelopes and cards get an unglamorous birth, assembled next to a check-cashing store on a downscale stretch of Venice Blvd. Winners from earlier years have expressed “envelope envy” on seeing the new ones.
“I would love to create a legacy envelope for all the living Oscar winners,” Friedland says.
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