Wrapped in a seductive red acetate jacket with artwork by John Hendrix, American Illustration 28 proves that its subject remains at the forefront of visual communication. From over 8,000 submissions to the annual competition by 1,000 illustrators, magazines, agencies and publishers, 380 were selected to appear in the book. Panelists including Luis Blanco and Michael Uman of INTERspectacular animation studio, Max Bode of the New Yorker and Kelly Doe of The New York Times picked work from the most popular publications and campaigns of 2008, including The Believer, Harper's and Men's Health. The book also includes newly released stamps from the U.S. Postal Service that pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Steve Brodner and Istvan Banyai's commemoration of Barack Obama's election victory sits alongside Barry Blitt's controversial New Yorker cover of Barack and Michelle's fist bump, while the designer-as-artist is represented by works on sexism by Bryan Christie Design for Portfolio magazine and politics by Arem Duplessis for Wired.