Kanye West teamed up with renowned Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami to oversee the artistic direction of Graduation and design the cover art for the album’s singles.

Often referred to as “Japan’s Warhol,” Murakami’s distinct visual art features seemingly friendly, cartoonish creatures with dark, twisted undertones.

The collaboration emerged from West’s visit to Murakami’s Kaikai Kiki studio during a brief stay in Asaka, Japan.

The album’s artwork showcases vibrant, pastel images inspired by Murakami’s connection to Superflat, a post-modern art movement influenced by manga and anime.

The creative process spanned several weeks, with West continually envisioning new images and emailing ideas to Murakami and his team.

Concluding the educational theme of West’s previous albums, the visuals in the liner notes culminate in a graduation ceremony at a fictional college in a futuristic city called Universe City.

Murakami described the metaphor behind the artwork as based on Kanye’s theme of student life, capturing the essence of dreams, fun, and occasionally the rigid dogma of human nature.

Both West’s music and Murakami’s visuals evoke the spirit of the times, creating a whirlwind of emotion and culture.

The artwork’s narrative revolves around “Dropout Bear,” West’s anthropomorphic teddy bear mascot.

The story begins on a rainy day with Dropout Bear awakening to his alarm clock and rushing to his DeLorean car, which ultimately fails.

After unsuccessful attempts to catch a taxi and a metro train, Dropout Bear resorts to running on foot.

Along his journey, he encounters multi-eyed, living mushrooms and is chased by a monstrous rain cloud.

Eventually, he reaches the university just in time for the graduation ceremony, surrounded by an array of anthropomorphic creatures.

The visual story ends with Dropout Bear being launched from a cannon into the sky.

Graduation’s cover art was ranked the fifth best album cover of the year by Rolling Stone.

Murakami later transformed the artwork into a three-minute animated music video for the opening track, “Good Morning.”

He also collaborated with West on the cover art for West and Kid Cudi’s debut studio album, Kids See Ghosts (2018).