Cake Runner

Society of Illustrators 49th Annual of American Illustrations, 2007, p78
Illustrator: Thomas Fuchs

This was an illustration created for an editorial. I have no idea what the editorial was about but since I'm a runner, I know when I'm in training I always think twice about eating junk food. I look at it as how far I would have to run to burn those useless calories (FYI: 100 calories = 1 mile). So perhaps the editorial was a call against America's poor eating habits. The runner represents us running away from the problems of obesity and good health.
The illustrator makes great use of color. The colorful cake represents the enticement of sweets while the gray, well-defined runners are indicative of work which most people find exercise to be. The illustrator's decision to show the edge of the cake makes it conclusive that it is indeed a cake. It also supports the idea of the runners being on a track and the fact that they are going round and round which again points out the monotony many people associate with running.