Author Archives: George Petras

Plotting With Pictographs

Posted on March 28, 2015 by George Petras

I used a pictograph to display the number of U.S. drone strikes in foreign countries as a quick fix for a display page that had only one photo. The numbers were taken from the story and I color-coded them to … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment

A Passion for Organization

Posted on March 15, 2015 by George Petras

I took the initiative to rework a map in a recent USA Today/National Geographic Channel 40-page tabloid that promoted “Killing Jesus,” a NatGeo movie about the last week of Christ. I volunteered to design and paginate the tab. The map … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment

Small Bits of Context

Posted on February 14, 2015 by George Petras

I think history is important, and anything that helps us understand it is vital. Looking through stories for USA Today’s D-Day tabloid I designed and paginated, I saw several information gaps that could be filled in to help readers better … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment

Extra Effort

Posted on February 10, 2015 by George Petras

I drove 50 miles and spent $16 to find an old issue of Life magazine that figured prominently in a USA Today publication. The story was about a soldier, Sgt. Francis Farr, who recognized himself in a Life magazine photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Pages | Leave a comment

Putting It in Perspective

Posted on January 26, 2015 by George Petras

This map accompanied a story by Jayne O’Donnell on hospitals closing in rural areas of the U.S. It was a good story that called attention to lower-income people who are in danger of losing medical care, simply because their hospitals … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment

Fun With Food

Posted on January 26, 2015 by George Petras

This is a page from a USA Today publication on food. The art gave me the chance to play with the layout and typography a little, and the project ended up being fun.  

Posted in Pages | Leave a comment

Details Matter

Posted on January 26, 2015 by George Petras

This was a page for USA Today’s D-Day publication, an anniversary observance about the Normandy invasion 70 years ago. Stories focused on veterans who participated in the invasion. In this story, I noticed the picture of a woman attached to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Pages | Leave a comment

Tracking the D-Day Invasion

Posted on January 10, 2015 by George Petras

USA Today publishes a number of special tabloids focused on specific issues – the ones I’ve done include military and historical subjects. I volunteered for the 70th observation tab of the D-Day invasion, some pages of which you’ll see here. … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment

New Planets Discovered

Posted on October 21, 2014 by George Petras

This is a relatively simple graphic about newly discovered planets just beyond our solar system. The chart gives you an idea about the planet’s size by comparing it others in our solar system. I did the research for this, using … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment

How Large is 300 Square Feet?

Posted on February 5, 2014 by George Petras

I volunteered to do this graphic for USA Today after seeing Wendy Koch’s planned story on micro apartments in New York City. The idea behind the project is to provide low- to middle-income New Yorkers with decent living space at … Continue reading →

Posted in Graphics | Leave a comment