GRAPHIC DESIGNER ILLUSTRATOR

PRINTMAKER PAINTER
BY : MIKAYLA MEEHAN
Tadanori Yokoo (b. 1936) is a Japanese graph-
ic designer, illustrator, printmaker, and painter.
He was born in 1936 in Nishiwaki, Japan and is
now one of Japan’s most fa-
mous and universally known
graphic designers. His fas-
cination with mass media,
popular art, and comic books have
been the inspiration for many of
his artworks. He is sometimes even
considered the “Japanese Andy
Warhol”. He typically uses collage
photographic elements to create
his works. During the 1960-70’s his
started combining a variety of tech-
niques including psychedelics which

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he discovered and became enthralled in when he visited In-
dia. One of his most popular pieces the “Sixth International
Biennial Exhibition of Prints in Tokyo” combines various col-
or palettes, different calligraphy writings on different types
of paths, and a variation of other stylistic elements to create
the overall grand piece. A couple years later Yokoo’s artwork
took a different turn; He mixed his Japanese culture with
growing up surrounded and intrigued by the new American
pop culture which gave his work the rejection of tradition and

physically showed the titling tides within the culture. Within

his work he has integrated elements from his childhood such
as text reminiscent of the old kimono labels he had seen when
he was a child, and graphics influenced by his old card games.
By combining all of these various elements and making them
so harmonious; he gained quite a large following overseas.
Which thus resulted in his own solo exhibit at the MoMA in
1972 (It was a big deal because it was the first time a graphic
designer had been given a solo exhibition). As seen in most of
his pieces alot of his work is commenting on society or how society works
especially in Japan during this time (Nudging at the fact of old Japanese
traditions, the need for change, and the new society that was starting
to form around the new exposure to American pop culture.) His work
is so visually pleasing with all of the elements that seem to so harmoni-
ous flow with each other that it has gained him quite a following; much
larger and much larger attention than most graphic designers. His work
is so multi layered and complex, making all of his pieces very different
and original compared to other artists. Towards the end of his career he
became more of a painter rather than a graphic designer in 1981 which
was very unexpected; but he was inspired by seeing Picasso retrospec-
tives at the MoMA.
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