“When I was a kid, I’d take candy wrappers, fold them into bows, and glue them onto hair clips to sell. That really captures how I approach design today - using what I have to create something personal & fun!”
I had the joy of interviewing Geena Yin, a senior at UC Berkeley studying Business and Data Science. Her journey has been shaped by a lifelong passion for visual and digital art, rooted in her art hobbies as a child. Geena’s latest Imagination Fund-winning project is a personalized journal for self-growth, inspired by her own challenges with journaling and designed to help others reflect and grow through her unique blend of creativity and design skills. Continue reading about Geena Yin and her journal project below.
Who is Geena Yin?
“My name is Geena, and I’ve always been drawn to art and being creative. In high school, I got into digital art and graphic design and it really stuck with me. I started posting on my Instagram art account and eventually discovered the world of UX design when I started college.”
Though her professional journey has pivoted away from full-time creative work, Geena still finds ways to design in her free time. “Freelance work and personal projects are a way for me to keep creating without the constraints I felt when I was trying to mix passion and work,” she explains. “Design takes more time and energy because it’s not objective - it’s about perception and connection. I wanted to keep it as something I enjoy instead of a professional obligation that left me feeling drained.”
About Geena’s Project: A New, Vibrant Self-Growth Journal
Geena’s project is a personalized journal that transforms traditional journaling through interactive prompts, bold designs, and customizable features. Her goal is to offer a more meaningful and practical alternative to conventional blank or overly structured formats.
Geena’s journaling project is deeply personal and nostalgic for her. “I loved scrapbooks and creative journals as a kid, I actually used to customize blank ones in middle school,”
“As an adult I’ve found myself struggling to finish any journal I started,” she admits. “The blank journals felt too intimidating and the template journals with random prompts felt too broad or unhelpful.”
“I really love looking back on journals from when I was younger and getting a window into what I was thinking or doing at that time, and I want to help others feel just as excited about having something to preserve moments in their life.”
Geena’s project aims to solve these pain points by creating a bridge between the two types of journals. “I want it to help people reflect, take actionable steps, and ground themselves in the present. It’s about creating something that encourages consistency and makes journaling feel approachable, lighthearted, and still very much so personal.”
“It’s tricky because if you’re too open-ended, the journal becomes overwhelming. But if you’re too rigid, it doesn’t feel personal. I’m trying to find that middle ground.”
What does your creative process look like?
Geena’s approach blends design methodologies with inspiration from existing formats. “I start with your run-of-the-mill user research: talking to friends, reading Reddit threads, and looking at what’s already out there. It helps validate what I’m making and ensures that what I’m making is meaningful to others, not just myself.”
From there, she focuses on ideation and structure, brainstorming how her journal can balance clear prompts with flexibility. “I think a lot about structure—how to make prompts clear and actionable while still leaving room for personalization. Inspiration is also a big part of my process. I look at other designs to understand what makes them effective, and then I think about how I can elevate those ideas.”
Her graphic design background plays a major role in shaping the journal’s visuals. “The way something looks affects how people engage with it. Most journals are just text and lines, but I see so much potential to make them more engaging and interactive. The visuals should make the writer feel like they’re adding to something meaningful.”
How has your graphic design background influenced the direction of the project?
“To me, the visual side of a journal is truly just as important as its functionality. A lot of journals out there are simple text prompts with lines and I really see an opportunity to make them more interactive and visually engaging.” Geena’s talent for graphic design is certainly evident in her draft journal’s visual elements.
Her goal is to create a journal that feels approachable and enjoyable through thoughtful visuals, intuitive design, and intentional use of colors and themes. “I want the journal to feel like an experience, something that inspires people to engage with it.”
What value do you see in Playbook as a creative?
Playbook has been a core part of Geena’s creative workflow. “I’ve been using Playbook since I participated in the Playbook AI Art Hackathon last year, where my team created a brand using their platform and won first place. For my new project, it’s been a game-changer.”
“I love how I can use Kanban boards to track tasks, switch to gallery view when working on visuals, and organize notes and links all in one place - it really makes managing creative work so much easier.”
“There aren’t many tools that let me manage my creative work the way I want, especially since it’s so visual. Playbook has been incredible for both personal projects and professional design management. I really feel that it empowers creatives to work on their own terms, without forcing a one-size-fits-all approach, and that’s so refreshing.”
What’s next for you and your project?
“My goal is to turn it into a physical product that people can use and love,” she says. “If it goes well, I’d love to expand into more themed journals to help people with different aspects of their lives.”
Her advice for other students balancing creativity and life? “Don’t get discouraged. Keep creating, even if it’s just something small every day. That consistency is really essential. It’s the best way to grow and push past creative blocks.”
What do you hope people take away from your work?
Geena wants her journal to inspire others without overwhelming them. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Great work often comes from reimagining existing ideas in a way that feels unique to you.”
As for creativity itself? “You don’t have to be a full-time creative to be one. Sometimes, pursuing a different professional path allows you to preserve and protect your creative energy, giving you the freedom to create for yourself.”
Geena’s journey proves that creativity thrives when you keep it personal. Keep your pens ready and your reflections close because her journal is coming soon to help you reflect, grow, and maybe even doodle a little along the way!
Check out Geena’s project proposal here.
See more of Geena’s work here.