A Close Look at Security Envelope Patterns
These classically inconspicuous designs, which are hiding in plain sight, have inspired collectors, artists, and at least one architect. Plus more stick figures in peril!
Editor’s Note: This post includes some short but important video clips, so I strongly suggest that you read the web version, not the emailed version. — Paul
I noticed the other day that I was running low on envelopes (yes, I still mail letters and other envelope-able items), so I went around the corner to the dollar store and got a new box of them. As you can see above, the security pattern on the new envelopes extends up onto the flap, while the pattern on the old ones does not. But the more interesting thing, at least to me, is that the patterns themselves are distinct.
You can get a better sense of the differences between the two security patterns if we unfold the envelopes:
And you can see the differences even more clearly if we zoom in on the two security patterns, like so:
They’re both really nice, right? I particularly like how the one on the left has those nine dots as part of its repeating visual signature.
A few days later, I received a medical lab bill in the mail. It came in an envelope with another security pattern:
Repeating design motifs can be found all around us, of course — on apparel, wallpaper, upholstery, floor tiling, wrapping paper, certificate borders, and more. But the thing about all those other patterns is that they’re intended to be decorative, while the patterns on security envelopes have a specific practical function (keeping your mail private) but also happen to be decorative. In addition, the envelope patterns are really small, so it’s easy to overlook how intricate they are. It all amounts to a classically inconspicuous case of incidental aesthetics.