Shepard Fairey gives street cred to TIME

This version is more evocative than the current cover of TIME. But give credit to the magazine for commissioning Shepard Fairey. Is there a more influential artist in the world right now? There wasn’t during the last presidential election. His ‘Hope’ image of Obama was the most widely-distributed campaign poster in 2008.

It’s clear to see why TIME didn’t choose this other version for their ‘PERSON OF THE YEAR’ cover. Note the red Arabian flower in the bottom left that doubles as a 99% logo. In a single, simple graphic Fairey united protesters from two different cultures separated by thousands of miles.

These are amazing times—thankfully we share the world with artists and other geniuses to remind us what’s up.

Whether or not you concur with Mr. Fairey’s politics is not the point. Perhaps Steve Jobs says it best in ‘The Crazy Ones’ TV spot: you can disagree with them…but you can’t ignore geniuses.

Apple Steve Jobs – The Crazy Ones (YouTube)

Barack Obama ‘Hope’ poster (Wikipedia)

Commissioning Shepard Fairey is one way of getting street cred. Here are some others.