Art Director, Lead Designer
Art Director, Lead Designer
The Moneyless Lucky Money
Redefining lucky money to celebrate Lunar New Year during challenging times.
About
In 2021, while at Climax Creatology, I led a Tet Holiday campaign, Vietnam's most cherished celebration, centered around the tradition of giving "lì xì" (lucky money). With the financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, this tradition became harder to uphold. Our campaign aimed to shift the perception of "lì xì" from being solely about money to being more about meaningful gestures that symbolize prosperity and good fortune for the new year.
The Challenge
We needed to balance financial difficulties with preserving the festive spirit of Tet. The challenge was to honor tradition while offering a fresh way for people to express good wishes without focusing on money. It was essential that the items in each envelope felt thoughtful and meaningful, not simply as replacements for cash, but as symbols of prosperity and care, maintaining the essence of "lì xì" in a creative and heartfelt way.
The Solution
We designed a set of six red envelopes that reimagined the traditional "lì xì." Instead of money, each envelope paired a meaningful wish with an essential item, like a comb for smoothness in the year ahead. The designs mixed modern aesthetics with tradition, featuring bold typography and the 2021 zodiac animal, the buffalo. Embossed buffalo designs with die-cut sections revealed keywords like "Growth" and "Peace." To keep things playful, we added witty wishes that cleverly matched each item's meaning, creating thoughtful and fun alternatives to cash gifts.
Give a bite when hungry, receive millions when full, the Year of the Ox brings great blessings and fortune.
Untangle the mess of the old year, smooth out the new one, advance smoothly ahead.
Not fond of hoarding toxic drama, prefer to detox, every hardship will pass.
No more jagged worries, file the year to your liking, and good fortune rises immediately.
No more rough worries, polish the year as you wish, and fortune will rise immediately.
Cover the gaps of the old year full of worries; the new year brings peace of mind, no matter the storms.
The Results
Our clients appreciated the thoughtful approach, especially during a time when many were reassessing their financial priorities. This initiative upheld the spirit of Tet while strengthening the connection between our clients and their customers. It showed that tradition can evolve creatively to meet modern needs and challenges, proving that meaningful gestures can carry just as much weight as monetary gifts.
