Illustrator
Shifting Context Fortunaat
For this project, I explored how shifting context can change the meaning of familiar digital interfaces. I started by researching everyday systems we interact with almost automatically. For example CAPTCHAs, emergency maps, and bank ATMs. Eventually, I became fascinated with the ATM as a trusted, universal interface. That led me to develop Fortunaat: an ATM reimagined as a slightly eerie fortune-teller, set in a universe inspired by Black Mirror.
In this world, Fortunaat gives users the illusion of choice. You can “allocate” your luck, check your “balance,” or decide when to give luck to your future self. But the machine ultimately reminds you that luck is unpredictable. You might use your luck tomorrow… or in three weeks. The interface feels structured and logical, yet the system beneath it quietly bends your expectations.
Visually, Fortunaat is based on the Dutch Geldmaat ATM interface. I wanted it to look professional and familiar at first so the unsettling elements like the altered language, symbolic choices, and fate-oriented terminology would stand out more strongly. Halfway through the flow, the machine reveals its true nature. The screen slips into a purple, off-model “loophole” that everyone in this fictional universe instantly recognizes as the real identity of the machine. This shift allowed me to play with animation, distortion, and subtle eeriness without losing the polished banking aesthetic.
The name Fortunaat combines automaat with Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck! Hinting at the machine’s purpose and personality.
Users might think they’re controlling the outcome, but Fortunaat nudges them toward the truth: luck isn’t something you can fully manage.
By rebuilding the entire UI myself in After Effects and some Illustrator I kept the interaction believable while shifting its meaning. The project reflects on how much of life feels like choice, and how much is shaped by randomness especially in systems we assume are fair, like finance.
For the projection, I chose a close first-person viewpoint, as if the user is standing directly in front of the machine. This made the interaction feel more intimate and slightly intrusive. Perfectly fitting for the Black Mirror–like tone of the project.
For the sound design, I created a low, continuous humming tone that blends almost seamlessly into the background. During feedback sessions, several people told me they “couldn’t hear anything” and assumed the sound was coming from my hard drive. That moment made me realise it was exactly the atmosphere I wanted: a sound that feels barely noticeable, slightly unsettling, and not fully identifiable.
The subtle hum reinforces the idea that the machine is alive in an uncanny way...
The Different Paths
To avoid animating every single possible outcome wh (which would be extremely time-intensive) each branch of the interface uses symbolic tags instead. These tags represent narrative directions and emotional meanings rather than full animated sequences.
The user’s journey through Fortunaat follows a consistent structure:
1. Standard Card Screen
A familiar ATM-style “insert card” moment to ground the user in trust and recognizability.2. Welcome Screen
Still corporate and neutral, hinting slightly at the machine’s fortune-telling nature.3. “Make Your Choice” Screen
The user chooses one of several branches, each connected to a different aspect of fate, luck, or direction.After selecting an option, the user reaches the PIN code screen, where the interface subtly transforms into the purple “loophole” mode. Which reveals the true identity of the Fortunaat system.
4.End sequence
After the message, a short loading screen appears. The user is then prompted to take their card. As soon as the card is removed, the interface snaps back to its corporate yellow, erasing any trace of the purple loophole and restoring the familiar ATM façade.
Fortune Path
This option explores how luck has influenced your life so far, and how it might continue to shape the future. The outcomes are intentionally ambiguous because real-world luck is rarely clearly good or bad in the moment.
Options:
1. The Open Door
A moment where opportunity appeared unexpectedly.
2. The Missed Train
A situation that went “wrong,” but altered your life’s direction.
3. The Found Key
Discovering something useful by accident.
4. The Split Road
A decision made without full information.
5. The Flickering Light
A brief moment of intuition or sudden clarity.
Reflect on Fate
This branch acts like a calm, poetic “luck diagnostic.”
Rather than outcomes, the machine describes how your luck behaves over time.
I imagine is like cheching your bank balance but the visuals have their own meaning.
Options:
1. Steady Current
Luck flows in a slow, predictable rhythm.
2. Hidden Reservoir
Luck builds quietly and appears in sudden bursts.
3. Shifting Wind
Luck changes directions frequently.
4. Deep Root
Luck grounded in long-term effort and relationships.
5. Bright Flash
Rare, impactful moments of luck.
Mystery Path
This option embraces uncertainty! Mysterious symbols, cryptic reflections, and outcomes that feel slightly eerie but not threatening.
This is the branch most connected to the Black Mirror–like undertone of the project.
Options:
1. A Locked Box
Something important remains hidden.
2. A Feather in Water
A delicate influence carried by unseen forces.
3. The Crescent Gate
An unfinished doorway into the unknown.
4. The Silent Bell
A message waiting to be delivered.
5. The Shadow of a Bird
A shifting presence above you, unnoticed but significant.
New Fortune
This branch is future-focused and slightly hopeful.
The tags gently point the user toward areas where they may encounter new opportunities or progress.
Options:
1. The Northern Path
Growth through learning or exploration.
2. The Garden Gate
Community, connection, or relationships.
3. The Quiet Cabin
Creativity, introspection, or personal projects.
4. The Rustling Market
Opportunities in career, skills, or movement.
5. The Distant Shore
Luck through travel, change, or new environments.
Reassign Luck
This is the most symbolic and reflective branch.
Here, the user “gives” a portion of their life-luck to someone or something.
It’s a metaphor for intention, compassion, and how generosity influences fate.
Options:
1. A Stranger in Passing
A bit of goodwill into the world.
2. Someone You Care For
Strengthening someone close to you.
3. Your Past Self
Sending compassion backward in time.Perhaps altering how events took place.
4. Your Future Self
Offering yourself steadier ground later. But ofcours unkown exactly when where how...
5. The World at Large
A symbolic act of generosity with no specific recipient.