Overview
The U.S. drastically changed after the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent recession. The country’s economy contracted, leaving countless Americans unemployed and state governments moving to think about the future of their workforces. By the start of the summer, our research team saw a need for state-specific research for how stimulus funding could be used to foster job growth in industries that also yield the highest health and climate benefits. Climate XChange collaborated with the Low Carbon Prosperity Institute to create a green stimulus portfolio for Washington State.
My task was to work with research teams from both organizations to present their findings in a concise and accessible format. With a target audience of state policymakers, I knew I needed to add structure and clarity to a dense economic report by providing visual representations for the five recommended investment areas. Collaborating with the report’s authors from the project’s onset, I was able to integrate images and figures into the report text to most effectively facilitate understanding for readers.
Objectives
Add structure and clarity to a dense economic report to make its main findings easily and quickly understood by policymakers. Government officials’ time is spent addressing countless pressing issues. Providing them with actionable information in a format that allows them to quickly understand proposed solutions allows them to make informed decisions that bring about real change.
Process
As results are finalized by our research team, we begin design meetings so I can best understand the main components and findings of the report. This allows me to begin sourcing relevant images, drawing an icon set, and finalizing a color palette to best showcase and organize the information presented in the report.
Once a draft of the full report is ready, I provide copy edits, followed by an initial layout of the report. I work closely with our research team to gain feedback on the placement of figures and other visuals to make sure they best tell the story of the study. The process includes multiple iterations of feedback before finalizing the report.
Impact
As the first example of a state-level green investment portfolio for stimulus funding, the report continues to resonate with policymakers across the country, spurring subsequent iterations in other states, such as Massachusetts.