Spectrum Ahoahotanga by Arata Yokoyama is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award Parahi in Hoahoa Whakairoiro, Whakaahua Ringa me te Whakawhitiwhiti Ataata Competition Category.

ParahiWhakairoiro· 2023

Spectrum Ahoahotanga

by Arata Yokoyama

Client: Arata Yokoyama

A' Design Award Parahi Winner in Whakairoiro Category

12,235

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #144936

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Spectrum Ahoahotanga

Ko Spectrum he whakaahua matihiko e whakaatu ana i te ahua kākahu tiriti a Hapanihi i runga i te ariā ahua pakiwaituhi Hapanihi. Ka karohia e te mahi nei te tino āhua whakaahua pono, ā, ka whakamahia ngā tae kanapa i runga i te āhua papatahi e ahua natura tonu ana ki te titiro. Ko te papamuri e whakaatu ana i ngā rama neon o Tokyo, me ngā āhua kua whakamāmātia mātātoa kia puta ai he panga koi, papatahi, kanapa hoki. Kua whakakotahitia ngā huānga o te hoahoa whakairoirotanga o te Uru me te whakaahua āhua Hapanihi. I tāia a Spectrum ki te Adobe Photoshop CC. Ko te whāinga kia mārama te ariā ki ngā kaimātakitaki i roto me waho o Hapani.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Parahi

Ko Spectrum Ahoahotanga te toa o te A' Design Award Parahi, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa kōeke e tohua ana mā te auaha, te mahi mōhio me te whakaaro hōhonu. Ko ngā toa Parahi he mahi pukenga e rite ana, he auaha mīharo, e whakatūturu ana i te wheako nui, te whakaaro me te mōhio-ā-ringa o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Spectrum Ahoahotanga he taonga whakanuia, whakamīharotia, aroha nui, he ngaio, he auaha hoki. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Parahi e whakauru ana i ngā tikanga pai rawa i te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau, ā, he tino mīharo ki ngā taipitopito. Ka whakatutuki a Spectrum Ahoahotanga i ngā hiahia, ka pā ki ngā hiahia, ka whakaoho i ngā kare-ā-roto, ā, ka kume i te pākiki.

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.