Spectrum Illustration by Arata Yokoyama is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Bronze in Grafikdesign Competition Category.

BronzeGrafik· 2023

Spectrum Illustration

by Arata Yokoyama

Client: Arata Yokoyama

A' Design Award in Bronze Winner in Grafik Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Spectrum Illustration

Spectrum ist eine digitale Illustration, die japanische Streetfashion im Stil japanischer Anime darstellt. Die Arbeit verzichtet auf Fotorealismus und setzt kräftige Farben flächig ein, wobei sie dennoch optisch natürlich wirkt. Der Hintergrund zeigt die Neonlichter Tokios, deren Formen konsequent vereinfacht wurden, um eine scharfe, flächige und leuchtende Wirkung zu erzielen. Elemente westlichen Grafikdesigns werden mit japanischer Charakterillustration verbunden. Spectrum wurde mit Adobe Photoshop CC gezeichnet. Ziel ist es, den Stil einem Publikum innerhalb wie außerhalb Japans verständlich zu vermitteln.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Bronze

Spectrum Illustration ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Bronze, einer hochprestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für herausragende Designs, die sich durch Kreativität, Einfallsreichtum und Scharfsinn auszeichnen. Bronze-Gewinner sind reichlich geschickte und auffallend kreative Artefakte, die die große Erfahrung, Fantasie und Findigkeit ihrer Designer belegen. Von Spectrum Illustration wird erwartet, dass es ein hochgeschätztes, bewundertes und geliebtes Objekt ist, das bemerkenswert professionell und innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Bronze prämierte Design verkörpert bewährte Verfahren in Kunst, Wissenschaft, Design und Technologie und ist hervorragend in seiner Liebe zum Detail. Spectrum Illustration befriedigt Bedürfnisse auf großartige Weise, berührt Wünsche, bezaubert Gefühle und spricht die Neugier an.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This work depicts Japanese street fashion in the style of Japanese anime.

Such motifs are popular in Japanese illustration, but this work is unique in that it defies photorealism and uses vivid colors in a flat, yet optically natural-looking manner.

The background represents the neon lights of Tokyo, and here, too, the form is boldly deformed in pursuit of a sharp, flat, yet luminous expression.
Dimensions & Packaging: 8000 x 5678 pixel, 400dpi, RGB
Tags: street fashion, anime, character design, japanese illustration, vivid color
Production Technology: Drawing with Adobe Photoshop CC
Design Challenge: In order to convey the goodness of a particular thing, I must first like it myself.
In order to use street fashion as my subject matter, I focused on improving my sense of style by experiencing and wearing it myself.

I also devoted myself to researching painting styles that would convey the good looks equally to both Japanese and foreign audiences.
To compose the picture with flat surfaces, not lines. He used vivid colors, but kept the entire picture in harmony. And at the same time, to make the characters look cool and cute in a Japanese way.
Research: A study of street fashion in Japan and abroad. Collect snapshots, purchase actual items, and wear them myrself to deepen understanding of function and design.

Research on drawing techniques. Challenged to fuse Western graphic design with Japanese character illustration. Strived to find a balance between deforming the form and color of objects while maintaining the cool, cute, and liveliness of the characters.
Inspiration: Today, fashion based on techwear and designs using vivid colors are global trends.

Japanese street fashion and illustrations are also in that trend, but they also have their own unique characteristics.

I analyzed the coincidences and differences between them and aimed to visualize them.

Japanese people will find this illustration foreign. Foreigners may feel it is Japanese.

This in-between state is the expression I pursued.
Project Duration: This work was created in 10 hours on September 20, 2020, and published on Twitter, pixiv, and other social networking sites that day.
Operation Flow: Suggestions about the affinity between street fashion and the neon streets of Tokyo and how cool it can be.

Especially in Japan, when proposing a fashion style to an audience, it is more effective to use characters, deformed and idealized visuals rather than photo-realistic ones.

And it is also effective when introducing Japanese culture to people outside of Japan. By incorporating elements of Western graphic design, we aimed to create visuals that would be easy for them to understand.
Image Credits: #1: Illustrator NaBaBa, Private Work, 2020.