Content, whether words, pictures or illustrations, needs to engage the viewer.
This was part of a project I did for the San Diego Union-Tribune's yearlong editorial project on solutions to the issues facing California. Topics included education, public pensions, infrastructure and, as shown in this illustration, state budget issues.
For this story, I photoshopped then-Gov. Grey Davis on the head of Tom Hanks' character from the 1986 film "The Money Pit" also starring Shelley Long. I also searched for a similar font to that used for the movie to bring the two ideas together.
—Matthew Hoy