A visionary way
One of my favourite projects to date has been the editorial project for the Bushido Karate Association—a visionary Way.
This publication was to be used as a presentation award given to students after achieving higher level grades, the book was also to be an educational tool, to encourage its owner to further develop their skills and understanding of the art which is Shotokan Karate.
Target market
Aimed towards their senior level students to learn more about the history, syllabus, terminology and rules of Shotokan style karate the book was targeted towards the age group 18-30s but specifically aimed at students that surpasses their junior level grades and achieves their first Dan level of Shotokan karate (grading system).
Layout
The design had to reflect both Shotokan karate and Japanese cultures. The layout of the design was to reflect the character of those who practise Shotokan karate—ultimately adopting the characteristics of precision, perfection, humility and discipline.
Typography
Typographic elements of the project were to be clear and legible for ease of reading and understanding, and be styled to show Precision and perfection—both of which are reflective of the Shotokan culture.
Font selection
I used mixture of different font faces within the Montserrat font family such as bold, semi-bold, medium and regular to create hierarchy though out the design. I feel this worked well—creating a clear transition through the pages for easy readability. my selection of font was deliberate to ensure a strong standing font that illustrated strength, commitment and precision. After some experimentation I also decided to make the body copy justified left I felt this added a more controlled look to the text, further illustrating precision and clarity.
Colour selection
The colour palette selected for the design was inspired by both Japan and karate, I choose to go forward with a red shade (Japanese flag Pantone red—CMYK equivalent).
For headlines and headers and highlighted text to help guide the reader through the text, this colour was also used sparingly throughout each illustration to help with the consistency of design and to make a connection between both elements.
The body copy and illustration outlines were created using 100% black, this was to represent the black belt achievement within the karate grading structure, and as the book will be used as an awarded artefact I felt this colour choice should have strong use through the design.
Illustrations and imagery
It was my thought that any illustrations or imagery used within the design should be used in an educational capacity and not just for visual aesthetics or padding, each element should be used to educate, inform, or instruct the reader in some way. (For the BKA, karate is a way of life—learning should be constant).
To achive this, I added a brush stroke to the black sketched outline which gave them an organic feel. I decided to create the characters without facial features, this was deliberate as in karate on one single person should stand out and be flamboyant, this is a sign of disrespect.
I feel, by leaving the faces black created a balance to the illustrations and stopped them from overpowering the spreads. I feel the illustrations work really well with the style of the book they stand out enough to be noticeable without taking over.
The design overall
I feel the project went very well, I believe the design achieved a good solid outcome, that would appeal to my target market and wider audience. Overall I feel I meet all the design briefs requirements and delivered a clear, legible, and educational high end product.
Why not head over to my portfolio @walbydesign and have a more in-depth look at my Visionary way project.
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