07/13/2026
Today I am starting a segment I will call "Logo Lessons". The reason for this name will become apparent over time, but for now, I will also reveal a new logo for Keystone Martial Arts that will eventually appear on our uniforms and other branding.
This logo was a long process of combining the work of an artist, image editing software, and yes, even some AI. I realize many have strong feelings about using AI to generate images, but here I feel I used it as a tool to realize an ultimate vision, and as an editor rather than a "slop" generator.
The lesson: K.I.S.S. or "Keep it simple, stupid." The original Keystone Martial Arts logo is pictured here as well. While I designed this logo myself, the level of detail has caused me many headaches over the years. What you see here is actually a "simplified" version of my original hand dawn design, now deemed suitable for printing. Regardless, due to the level of detail, it has proved to be much more expensive for some applications, like embroidery, and still unsuitable and even impossible for many other print or electronic uses.
The same can be said for our martial arts. At times, we try to overcomplicate both our training and our teaching. At times we try to interpret what an instructor or senior wants, rather than just doing the literal thing that was asked. We create overly elaborate scenarios and applications, and call them "advanced", when a better word might be "unrealistic". We are conditioned to think that simple equates to boring. This couldn't be further from the truth. When all else fails, return to the fundamentals. Go back to the basics. They are the building blocks of all things and all understanding.
Later posts may seem to contradict this, but they don't. This is the Um and the Yang of our experience, blending together.
Speaking of which, a logo should have meaning, and our new logo does. The dragon and tiger are present because they are the key elements of my own instructor's logo, but they are also ancient symbols of Um (Yin) and Yang, the balance of the physical and spiritual worlds.
In the new logo, the Dragon is representative of both the Heaven and Fire trigrams, as well as the element of Air. The Tiger represents both the trigrams of Earth and Water. They are shown simultaneously in conflict and balance.
The dragon in our original logo was twisted into a literal infinity symbol. This was representative of the infinite potential we all have. While not as literal, the dragon in the new logo retains this twist and shape, and retains the same meaning.
The Keystone is our central symbol. It is representative of our state of Pennsylvania and its history, but also has a deeper meaning. Literally, a Keystone is the central stone of an arch. It holds the arch together, and gives it structure, shape, support, and strength. Without the keystone, the arch falls.
Metaphorically, it has been our goal for Keystone Martial Arts to be a keystone studio in our area, our region, and in the World Tang Soo Do Association. While not at our highest numbers, I do feel we have achieved this goal, though we will continue to strive toward that end. Since our inception, Keystone Martial Arts has developed what will soon be five (including myself) Ko Dan Ja members of the World Tang Soo Do Association, as well as an additional studio started by our first student.
We continue forward, while sometimes looking back to remember and learn from our past. We preserve the basics. We remember that when things get too complicated, we should keep it simple, and just do one thing at a time.
-Master Mark Jorgensen
