OSU Journal

When the vice grandmaster of Enshin Karate, came to me with the idea of creating a daily planner for martial artists, I was all in. Picture this: a journal where fighters could jot down their training, goals, and daily musings, topped with a dash of inspiration and a unique Chinese Hexagram for each day. Sounds cool, right?

The journey was a blend of creativity, tech, and a bit of martial arts spirit. I dived into sketches, played around with Adobe Illustrator for some slick icons, and brought it all together in InDesign. But let me tell you, making sure those Hexagrams were spot-on was a mission of its own. Who knew design could feel like decoding ancient scripts?

In the end, we nailed it. The journal hit the shelves, and martial artists across the country started mapping their journey, one day at a time, with a 44% return on sales to boot. From sketching to snapping the cover photo with my own black belt, it was a project that taught me the beauty of balance—between information, design, and leaving space for personal reflection. Plus, working with a martial arts master? Definitely a story for the books.