When the Omaha World-Herald uncovered that executive pay at Goodwill Omaha far exceeded that of other local nonprofits and comparable Goodwill organizations nationwide, the lack of photos and limited access to those involved made illustration the ideal visual storytelling tool.

Working closely with Creative Director Tim Parks, we developed a bold color palette, key imagery, and a plan to serialize the story over three days. I chose to create vector-based artwork, paring strong shapes with the limited palette. A creative decision was made to keep the CEO’s face hidden until the final installment of the series — the following day he was fired.

The series was honored with a Silver Medal at the 2017 Society for News Design competition.