I created this as part of a multimedia team project at the Management Seminar for College News Editors (informally known as MSCNE, pronounced “em-scene”) at Grady College at the University of Georgia.

Our team of nine as given our assignment at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and had until 9 a.m. Thursday to complete a lead story, sidebar story, photos, video, data analysis and an infographic. I had absolutely no experience with data pulling or designing, so naturally, I volunteered for both. I had no choice but to become an expert — and quickly.

At first, I was overwhelmed with the data. I had so many questions I felt that I needed to answer with it, but as time ticked down, I needed to prioritize. What I deemed most important and most feasible ended up on this graphic.

I used a free online program called Piktochart to create the image, which had text, icon and chart tools. However, I didn’t use a template — I started from scratch. The image you see is a product of at least seven hours of work.

I felt like I had blinders on while I worked on this. I wanted to ensure it was functional and beautiful, and I think I accomplished some of both. I felt like I not only accomplished the task, but I met my own high standards.

Compiling the data and creating this, ensuring it was functional and beautiful, was easily the best part of my week in Athens.