Bridge collapse in Minneapolis: Solid information was scarce that day in 2007 as TV played the same low-res security video over and over, so our news graphics team set out to provide visual specifics that the photography could not. As graphics editor, I collaborated with a graphics reporter, who traveled from Chicago to Minneapolis that afternoon to gather firsthand information, and with a graphic artist, who created the illustration on deadline in our Chicago newsroom. (12" x 5")

Homing in on key information: My favorite part about this simple succession of maps is what we stripped away. Our graphics team's typical practice on maps like this had been to overlay highways and other geographic features to show the train lines’ locations within Chicago. With those elements removed and with minimal labeling, the growth in “slow zones” over time is communicated in an instant. (6" x 4")

Driving the narrative: I was pleased with the size and white space we ended up devoting to this approach. The simple circles and spare language might typically have led to a smaller, cramped graphic, but the breathing room helped a lot in this case. (9" x 5")

Lolla 2.0: This was Lollapalooza’s first year as a standalone festival in downtown Chicago, so we created a stylized map and schedule grid that was superior to the programs handed out at the gate. And mobile data reception at the fest was poor at the time, so print won out that weekend. We upped the ante with daily itineraries recommended by the Tribune’s rock critic, including a feature I conceived called “Cruel Overlap of the Day”—a brief lament about two acts playing on different stages at the same time. I collaborated with a graphic artist who drew the map, and I designed the overall spread, including the sinuous grid. (24" x 21")

Demystifying Oscar voting: This was a challenging subject from an infographic standpoint because the actual vote counts for the Oscars are kept secret. We opted to fill in the blanks with theoretical numbers to make it easier to understand how the Academy’s process of eliminate works. I collaborated with a graphic artist who drew the icons, and I wrote and designed the infographic. (11" x 10")

Not all journalists hate math: I jokingly bragged about my college math degree as fellow journalists recoiled at the thought of illustrating a story about new approaches being advocated by a national organization of math teachers. (6" x 3")