A touch of cheese powder, a dose of sarcasm, and a font to rival a first-grader’s handwriting – this is the recipe for Cheetos’ newest marketing stunt. In the latest installment of its “Other Hand” campaign, Cheetos has released a video introducing a custom typeface dubbed – you guessed it – the “Other Hand Font.”
About the “Other Hand Font”
Released on January 23, National Handwriting Day, the Other Hand Font was designed by Cheetos staff using their non-dominant hands. The reason? Because when 99% of people eat Cheetos, they reach into the bag with their dominant hand – so to complete other tasks, they have to use “the other hand.” To bring the story of the font’s creation to life, Cheetos worked with the Silverstein Goodby & Partners agency to make a satirical ad that gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the design process. The ad was then shared across Cheetos’ social media channels, including X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Freely available for download on the Cheetos website, the Other Hand Font can be used via a Chrome browser plug-in. While you might be wondering why on earth someone would want to use this hideous font, there is an incentive: by using it in a project and sharing it on social media – and tagging Cheetos – fans will get the chance to win a limited-edition bag of Cheetos, with an all-new design featuring the Other Hand Font and Chester Cheetah.
The font is the latest initiative in Cheetos’ “Other Hand” campaign. Launched last spring, the campaign featured people of various occupations failing tasks because they couldn’t stop eating Cheetos with their dominant hands.
Encapsulating a brand
The tongue-in-cheek ad opens with Rich Silverstein, of Silverstein Goodby & Partners, describing the initial stages of the team’s design process. He states:
“When you design a typeface, you’re designing a voice for a brand, and you have to know what that brand is before you even start designing.”
While the ironic comment was intended to make viewers laugh, the sentiment rings true: you must know a brand to encapsulate and promote it. The Other Hand Font ad perfectly reflects the Cheetos brand, which has been known for its unconventional and ridiculous marketing campaigns – just look at its 2023 Super Bowl partnership with Meghan Thee Stallion. Where the Other Hand Font is concerned, only time will tell whether it’s just another one-off marketing stunt or the beginning of a new design era for Cheetos…
View the Other Hand Font ad for yourself below: