As every illustrator knows, working with a daily paper like The Wall St Journal can be like a Top Chef challenge with the tight deadlines. You need to make something good looking and smart within a very tight window. Dan Smith and I have this down and it’s always satisfying when finished. He had an article about CEO’s choosing their successor which is a great topic because it is about forming another person who reflects yourself.
This was a happy instance where AD and illustrator agree which sketch is the best. I felt the chosen sketch nailed it both conceptually and graphically. Number 2 would have been great for a more humorous approach. Number 3 would have worked fine too but the success depends on execution to make it more interesting.