#1 -- How did the idea for the graphic develop? Gaceta Universitaria, another newspaper of the company, published this graphic. Since it is a newspaper directed to people of the university, we decided to approach the topic in a more humane form.

How was it researched? The investigation was done between the journalist and the infographics department.

What sort of feedback did you receive from readers? From your newsroom staff? We received congratulations from our readers for the research work and the graphic.  Caritas, a spanish NGO who provided us with the information, congratulated us for the final results.

Who worked on the graphic? Itziar Romera (research and text) Pablo Mª Ramírez (research and graphics)

Designer: Jerry Mosemak
Concept: When the graphic was assigned coalition forces in Iraq were heading to Baghdad. Supply lines were growing long and much attention was drawn to the guerilla like attacks on U.S. support elements. We wanted to explain how a force such as the 3rd Infantry Division might advance through hostile territory.

Method: Two designers tag teamed this graphic for deadline purposes. One worked primarily on the drawing and the other on the flash scripting and animation. The background and vehicles were drawn in Freehand then the vector images were brought into flash and completed. The vector approach keeps the file size low making the download time for users much quicker.

Map: A Satellite Look of Baghdad

Designer: Kevin Kepple
Concept: The concept was to make the best use of the satellite imagery in a way that didn't just drop the user in the middle of a city they've never been to before. By having the navigation map on the left be directly proportional to the files called in on the right we gave the user a sense of orientation so they could choose the areas they want to explore without ever feeling lost.

Method: The piece was put together using flash scripting that called hundreds of individual buttons, that called up hundreds of separate .swf files.

Evacuating the Wounded

Designer: David Evans
Concept: The process of evacuating a wounded soldier from the field was a linear one. Starting in one place and ending in another. So it made sense to place the steps on an arrow that went in one direction. So we start "zoomed" into each step to examine it closer and end the graphic "zoomed" out to see the whole process.

Method: The graphics were created in Illustrator and Flash. 3-D models were used for reference. The artist created a simple side view of the vehicles and extruded them. Then added detail for more of an "icon" look rather than a detailed 3-D feel. I thought the icons visually simplified the steps.

--Submitted by Jessica A. Caffrey
USATODAY.com