Spectrum Illustration by Arata Yokoyama Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design

Arata Yokoyama recognized for graphics, illustration and visual communication design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category for Spectrum Illustration by Arata Yokoyama. The recognition forms part of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Bronze A' Design Award Explained

The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.

More About Spectrum Illustration

Spectrum is a digital illustration that depicts Japanese street fashion in the style of Japanese anime. The work avoids photorealism and applies vivid colors in a flat manner that still appears optically natural. The background represents the neon lights of Tokyo, with forms boldly simplified for a sharp, flat and luminous effect. Elements of Western graphic design are combined with Japanese character illustration. Spectrum was drawn with Adobe Photoshop CC. The intent is to make the style clear to audiences inside and outside Japan.

Award Record

This recognition makes Arata Yokoyama a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award

The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Entries typically include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. Awarded graphic designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/graphics

About A' Design Award & Competition

A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/144936
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/144936
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!144936
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/337619
Further Information from the Laureate: https://twitter.com/NaBaBa

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Spectrum Illustration
Function: Illustration
Category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Discipline: Communication Design
Industry: Branding & Advertising and Arts
Colors: Dark Slate Gray, Crimson, Red, Maroon and Dark Slate Blue
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Arata Yokoyama
Country: Japan
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2022 - 2023
Design ID: #144936

Credits

Image Credits: #1: Illustrator NaBaBa, Private Work, 2020.

Design Details

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.
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.
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.
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.
Realization and Technology: Drawing with Adobe Photoshop CC
Operation and Interaction: 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.
Project Duration and Location: This work was created in 10 hours on September 20, 2020, and published on Twitter, pixiv, and other social networking sites that day.
Specifications: 8000 x 5678 pixel, 400dpi, RGB
Keywords: street fashion, anime, character design, japanese illustration, vivid color