Tsunoda began his career as an art director in the 1980s, and gained recognition in the creative industries as a visionary who worked with a wide variety of artists in music and fashion both in Japan and abroad, popularizing the countercultures of various genres and generations. During this time, creating artworks remained a routine that existed in symbiosis with his career, and in 2004, he finally stepped back from design work to shift his focus to his artistic practice full time.