For this year’s Typeforce, I delivered 14 posters giving an emotional human presence to slips of paper that are often short lived and left behind.

Statement
According to American journalist Jennifer 8. Lee, fortune cookies were invented by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese and largely consumed by Americans. A lot of people expect ending Chinese food meals in America with fortune cookies. I know some people don’t care to eat the cookies, but almost everyone breaks them open to read their “fortune” on a small slip of paper inside. The wise saying or an nonsensical phrase on it doesn’t necessarily predict the future. They may offer simple insights in life or plain advice, but no one places too much significance on the fortunes inside the cookies. I like the fact that they are enjoyed only for a short period of time and are left behind afterwards.

Personally, I like to break fortune cookies open and eat them after a Chinese meal. I always get slightly disappointed when I don’t get one after a meal at a Chinese restaurant or when Chinese takeout doesn’t come with a cookie. Not that I have a particular love for fortune cookies, but I always thought that I could design something interesting based off of a fortune so whenever possible I collected and kept the fortunes.

As you might know, it’s been 10 months since I started designing one poster a day. I realized that there was an opportunity in my hands to do something with the fortunes I had collected. I produced 14 posters, which resulted in delivering a new look, life and emotional human presence to these little slips of paper which are often short lived and forgotten. On top, I integrated the “lucky numbers” in the posters. If we are lucky, we might even be able to win the Powerball prize! Let’s see if we can get lucky with fortune cookies.