February 12, 2021
By Illustration Age Staff
Main Facts
The annual unveiling of TIME magazine’s Person of the Year issue is one of the most anticipated and closely guarded traditions in modern journalism. Steeped in a unique blend of intrigue, drama, and high-stakes media speculation, the selection process involves months of behind-the-scenes planning. Every year, the editorial staff at the prestigious periodical commissions a diverse roster of world-class artists, painters, and photographers to secretly depict a wide range of potential candidates.
Adding to the complexity of the assignment, the commissioned artists are kept entirely in the dark. Working under strict non-disclosure agreements and tight deadlines, they create portraits of various contenders without ever knowing which individual—or group of individuals—will ultimately secure the historic designation. The final choice remains a heavily guarded secret until the magazine officially hits newsstands and digital subscriber mailboxes globally.
For the monumental Person of the Year feature recognizing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, TIME tapped celebrated Chicago-based illustrator Jason Seiler. Marking a major career milestone, this assignment represented Seiler’s second time creating a TIME Person of the Year cover. Known for his striking, highly textured, and psychologically probing caricature work, Seiler stepped into the spotlight to discuss the intense creative process, the unique challenges of painting world leaders under a cloak of secrecy, his unexpected passion for drumming, and the broader intersection of politics and contemporary illustration.
Chronology
The Anatomy of a Cover: From Secret Briefing to Public Reveal
The journey toward a TIME Person of the Year cover does not begin on election night or at the close of the calendar year; it is a meticulous, months-long endeavor that accelerates rapidly in the final quarter.
- Late Autumn (The Confidential Commission): Months before the public announcement, TIME’s art directors reach out to a select group of top-tier visual artists. Because the ultimate Person of the Year has not yet been locked in by the editorial board—or to prevent premature leaks—artists are assigned multiple potential subjects. For Jason Seiler, this meant entering a preliminary phase of research and concept sketching without any guarantee that his work would make the final cut.
- The Blind Creation Phase: Working from his studio in Chicago, Seiler utilized his signature digital painting techniques to render lifelike, expressive portraits of the leading candidates. Every stroke was executed with the awareness that the final product could either become an iconic piece of journalistic history or be filed away as an unprinted alternative.
- The Climax of Seidency (December 2020): TIME publicly revealed its choice of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the 2020 Person of the Year. Simultaneously, the magazine unveiled Seiler’s striking cover illustration to the world, sparking immediate global discussion regarding its artistic merit and symbolic resonance.
- February 2021 (The Retrospective Interview): Months after the whirlwind launch, Illustration Age’s Sam Gallant sat down with Seiler for an in-depth, exclusive video interview. Released on February 12, 2021, the discussion offered a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the realities of working at the pinnacle of editorial illustration.
Supporting Data
To understand the magnitude of Jason Seiler’s achievement, it is essential to examine the context of his career and the historical footprint of TIME’s visual branding.
- Second-Time Honoree: Securing a single TIME Person of the Year cover is a career-defining accolade for any illustrator. Being selected for a second time places Seiler in an elite tier of visual journalists who have repeatedly shaped the visual language of the publication.
- The Medium of Choice: While photography often dominates modern magazine covers, TIME frequently turns to illustration for its Person of the Year franchise to provide a deeper, more interpretive, and psychological perspective on complex political figures. Seiler’s digital medium allows for a hyper-detailed yet malleable approach, capturing minute facial expressions, lighting nuances, and textural depth that a standard photograph might miss.
- Global Reach: TIME magazine boasts a weekly print and digital readership numbering in the tens of millions globally. The Person of the Year issue consistently ranks as the publication’s highest-selling and most-discussed edition of the year, ensuring that the cover artist’s work is viewed, analyzed, and critiqued on an international stage.
- Cross-Disciplinary Artistry: Beyond his fine art and illustration portfolio—which includes work for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, GQ, and major animation studios—Seiler maintains a lifelong dedication to music. His proficiency as a professional-grade drummer offers a fascinating parallel to his visual art, where rhythm, timing, and energetic cadence play crucial roles in his execution of dynamic caricature portraits.
Official Responses
While corporate press releases regarding the Person of the Year typically focus on the journalistic rationale behind choosing political figures like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the artistic community’s response centers on the mechanics and emotional weight of visual storytelling.
In his extensive conversation with Illustration Age’s Sam Gallant, Jason Seiler opened up about the surreal experience of painting individuals who wield immense global power:
"Every time you take on an assignment of this scale, there’s an inherent weight to it. You aren’t just drawing a likeness; you’re attempting to capture a historical moment in real-time. When you’re painting leaders like Biden and Harris under strict non-disclosure guidelines, you have to completely block out the external noise and focus purely on the anatomy, the light, and the underlying personality of the subject."
Art directors and editorial peers have consistently praised Seiler for his ability to push past standard caricature into the realm of profound portraiture. Rather than merely exaggerating physical features for comedic effect, Seiler’s approach honors the dignity of the office while retaining the sharp, perceptive edge that defines contemporary editorial illustration.
Sam Gallant emphasized the cultural significance of featuring working artists in conversations like these, noting that the general public rarely gets a glimpse into the high-pressure, high-reward ecosystem of magazine cover production. By pulling back the curtain on Seiler’s creative routine, the interview served as both a masterclass in digital illustration and a celebration of American craftsmanship.
Implications
The collaboration between TIME magazine and Jason Seiler for the Person of the Year cover carries significant implications for the fields of journalism, visual arts, and political commentary.
1. The Resurgence and Value of Editorial Illustration
In an era dominated by instantaneous digital photography and AI-generated imagery, high-end editorial illustration continues to serve as a vital, human-centric counterweight. The meticulous process required to paint a political leader by hand introduces a layer of emotional resonance and critical interpretation that raw photography cannot replicate. Seiler’s prominent placement on the TIME cover reinforces the enduring market value and cultural necessity of skilled illustrators in modern media.
2. The Psychology of Political Caricature
Political portraiture is a delicate tightrope walk. Artists must balance respect for the democratic institutions represented by elected officials with the journalistic duty to critique and analyze them. Seiler’s success lies in his ability to walk this line gracefully. By capturing the nuanced expressions of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris at the dawn of a turbulent political transition, his work acts as a visual time capsule for future historians.
3. Inspiring the Next Generation of Creatives
Interviews like the one conducted by Sam Gallant provide invaluable educational insights for emerging artists, students, and commercial illustrators. By demystifying the pipeline—highlighting everything from handling NDA restrictions to managing artistic burnout and balancing parallel passions like drumming—Seiler offers a realistic roadmap for sustaining a long-term, high-profile career in the creative industries.
Ultimately, Jason Seiler’s contribution to the 2020 Person of the Year issue stands as a testament to the power of art to immortalize moments of profound historical change. As the media landscape continues to evolve, the intersection of traditional draftsmanship and modern digital tools—mastered so skillfully by artists like Seiler—will remain at the heart of how the world visualizes its own history.
