Counter Attack of Design

Designer’s Name + Biography:
Tadanori Yokoo (1936– ) is a Japanese graphic designer and artist. He became famous in the 1960s for posters with pop art and psychedelic style. Yokoo made posters for theater, concerts, and exhibitions, and later worked as a painter. He is one of the most important figures in Japanese postwar design.

Client:
Takashimaya Department Store, Tokyo (for Yokoo’s solo exhibition)

Size:
Approx. 105X150mm

Cultural/Artistic Context:
This poster was made for Yokoo’s solo exhibition “Counter Attack of Design” held at Takashimaya in 1978. The image combines elements from Hokusai’s Great Wave, the Japanese rising sun motif, and Yokoo’s own self-portrait and recurring symbols. It expresses a self-aware, playful critique of consumerism, nationalism, and the commercial role of the designer.
In the 1970s, Yokoo’s works reflected the growing postmodern movement in Japan, where traditional and Western visual languages collided in bold, ironic ways. His designs questioned what it meant for “Japanese design” to exist in a global, commercialized world.

Associated Info:
This poster has been widely reproduced in design history books and retrospectives, including the Yokoo Museum in Kobe. It remains a symbol of Japan’s pop and postmodern graphic design identity.

Image Credit:
Tadanori Yokoo Official Website