About
In an increasingly uncertain world, many young people turn to small rituals to find brief moments of reassurance — drawing a fortune stick, reading tarot cards, or sharing images that promise good luck.
These actions often exist somewhere between belief and doubt.
People may not truly expect them to change their fate, but performing the ritual still creates a sense of emotional stability.
This project begins with that observation and reinterprets the visual structure of traditional Chinese talismans to explore the emotional needs behind these everyday rituals.
The outcome is a set of contemporary talisman designs and a visual archive book.
The project began with a simple observation.
Many of my friends turn to small rituals when they feel anxious or uncertain — drawing tarot cards, reading palm lines, or visiting temples.
Most people do not fully believe in these practices, yet they still perform them because they offer a brief sense of reassurance.
In Chinese culture, talismans are part of a long-standing visual and ritual tradition.
Traditionally written with cinnabar ink on yellow paper, they are used to seek protection or certainty when facing the unknown.
This made me wonder:
If talismans are understood as a visual language, could they also respond to the emotional experiences of young people today?
Rather than replicating traditional talismans, this project borrows their structural logic.
Traditional talismans are often organized into three parts: a head, a body, and a foot.
I kept this structure but reinterpreted each section to express contemporary emotional experiences rather than religious meanings.
Each talisman represents a different emotional theme, such as opportunity, wealth, protection, or stability.
In this way, the talisman becomes less of a religious object and more of a visual language for expressing emotions.
The final outcome is a set of fifteen talismans organized into a visual archive book.
The book documents the structure, meaning, and design logic behind each symbol, while the talismans themselves also exist as a series of cards that function as small visual rituals.
Through this project, I realized that many behaviors often labeled as superstition actually reflect genuine emotional needs.
Design may not change fate, but it can create new visual languages that allow these emotions to be expressed and understood.