Inside Lucky Bag 2026: An Interview with Illustrator Min Heo

Every year, our Lucky Bags arrive wrapped in one-of-a-kind artwork you won’t find anywhere else—and this year’s design might be the luckiest yet. Inspired by good luck charms, Lucky Bag 2026 is all about finding magic in the everyday, whether it’s a four-leaf clover, a lucky cat, or an Italian chili pepper (yes, really).

Behind the charming design is Min Heo, a San Francisco Bay Area-based illustrator whose colorful, character-driven work has graced the pages of The New York Times and The New Yorker, among others. We sat down with Min to learn more about her creative process, her favorite lucky symbol (spoiler: it involves a cat), and the one beauty product she can’t live without.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello! My name is Min Heo, and I’m a Korean-American illustrator working and living in the Bay Area, California. I’ve been working as a freelance illustrator for over 10 years now (eep, how has it already been so long!), and have been lucky enough to have worked with The New York Times, The New Yorker, SFMOMA, Aritzia, and now Beautylish!

When I’m not drawing, I’m playing tennis, making ceramics, and spending time with my cat, Acorn.

How would you describe your art style?

My art style is a mix of a lot of different things I love: color, humor, and sassy, cute characters. I love finding funny moments in everyday life and being inspired by animals, different people in my life, and a range of emotions.

What was your creative process like for this Lucky Bag design?

My creative process always starts with looking for references. I try to recollect and bring elements of my own life into the moodboard, while also keeping an eye out for inspiration on the internet. This usually gets my creative juices going, and I start to draw out different sketches and concepts.

After one direction is selected, I start refining the linework and the characters. I love that I had the opportunity to incorporate a cat as a lucky symbol—they’re one of my favorite things to draw!

Once the linework is complete, I play with colors. I try out a variety of different palettes, and it’s so interesting to see how each color treats the image differently. This design was especially fun to work on since it involved a pattern!

This year’s Lucky Bag design incorporates a collection of good luck symbols. Is there one that’s especially meaningful to you?

I loved researching and looking into all of the different good luck symbols of the world. I was surprised to learn of many I didn’t know, like the Italian chili pepper! But my favorite to draw was the lucky cat. I felt very partial to that one because I have a cat of my own. :)

What’s a goal or dream you’re manifesting for 2026?

While I always have a few career goals in mind every year, for 2026 I’m really manifesting rest and slowness. I hope that the busyness of 2025 will settle and I’ll have more energy to dedicate to my personal illustration projects and time for relaxation.

One beauty product you can’t do without?

BLUSSSHHHHH~ I feel like my makeup routine is never finished until I pop on that bit of pink or red color. It adds so much more life to my face, and I feel so much more confident with a good bit of blush on.

Images courtesy of Min Heo