Which Japanese artist designed artwork for Kanye West's Graduation?

Takashi Murakami designed the artwork for Kanye West’s Graduation.

The 2007 album marked a major collaboration between West and Murakami, whose colorful, smiling characters and cartoon-like imagery shaped the record’s visual identity. The cover features the Dropout Bear being launched from a stylized pink vehicle into a fantastical sky, matching the album’s themes of ambition, celebrity and moving beyond earlier chapters.

Murakami is a leading Japanese contemporary artist associated with the Superflat movement, which blends fine art, commercial design, manga and anime-inspired imagery. His work was already internationally famous through collaborations with brands such as Louis Vuitton, making him an especially distinctive choice for a major hip-hop release.

A common mix-up is confusing Murakami with George Condo, who created paintings for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, or with Virgil Abloh, who contributed to later Kanye-related creative projects. Murakami also collaborated with West again on Kids See Ghosts in 2018.