TIME Magazine: "The Bailout that Worked"

This was a dream job. I was asked to do some sketches for a potential cover of Time International about the resurgent U.S. auto industry. The working title they had at the time was "The bailout that worked." The article was a bit more about the CEO of Chrysler/Fiat than about the industry as a whole, but I tried as many concepts as possible before I feel asleep at the computer (several other jobs were due that Monday). I did the best I could. I like some of the sketches here regardless how cliché a life preserver is, including the Joe Louis statue (fist) with life preservers or the used life preservers stacked like used tires. The American flag sketch is made up of new cars in rows. The two covers they went with are below. Even though the sketches were rejected, it was an absolute honor just to be considered for something like this.