Winnipeg, Canada

Here’s a big “thumbs up!” (along with a sizable dose of admiration and respect) for friend and design colleague Adrian J.K. Shum, a graphic designer I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside at Circle for the past five years. Adrian has been honoured with the award of a Kuro Obi Shodan (1st degree black belt) in Kyokushin Karate.

Kyokushin is a style of stand-up, full contact karate, founded in 1964 by Masutatsu Oyama (大山倍達). A very practical method of self defense, Kyokushin emphasizes realistic combat and physical toughness, and it is deeply rooted in the philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Adrian began his Kyokushin training not long after joining our creative team at Circle, and continues to train three to four times a week out of the Guardian Dojo. A milestone achievement, Adrian notes that this is only the beginning… quoting Mas Oyama, “One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training and an expert after ten thousand days of practice.”

Osu no Seishin—the Spirit of Perseverance!