Frank Cadle Close project
04Policy · Data storytelling · Editorial systems2017–2020
NACo

National policy.
County-level clarity.

At the National Association of Counties (NACo), I translated complex policy, finance, and live-response data into clear communication for county leaders.

Role
Graphic & Digital Designer
Team
Communications + Legislative
Focus
Reports, presentations, web, analytics
Cover of Analysis of the Fiscal Impact of COVID-19 on Counties, May 2020

May 2020 / Live-response publishing

30

working hours from live data to a polished 60+ page editorial.

Produced across three days in close partnership with the legislative department.

The communication gap

Make Washington policy useful beyond Washington.

Rural and urban county leaders were navigating unfamiliar legislation, emergency funding, and rapidly changing public-safety guidance. The work had to preserve policy accuracy while making the implications comprehensible, timely, and easy to share.

Audiences ranged from nearly 1,800 county officials to federal partners, House leaders, White House stakeholders, and Justice & Public Safety audiences. Each needed a clear view of what the data meant—and what to do next.

+30%higher email engagementClearer hierarchy connected audiences with timely policy information
2K+executive-summary downloadsDemand for a concise entry point into the full COVID fiscal analysis
~1,800county officials reachedAcross rural and urban communities throughout the United States
60+pages produced in 30 hoursLive data translated, designed, reviewed, and released across three days

Editorial response

The design system had to move at the speed of the information.

The challenge was not simply laying out a report. It was learning specialized subject matter quickly, partnering with policy experts, identifying the story inside changing data, and extending NACo’s brand without slowing the publishing window.

Three-day production sprint

Live data in.
National report out.

  1. 01Receive

    Live finance, workforce, and response data arrived as the national picture continued to change.

  2. 02Align

    Legislative experts clarified the policy context, priority findings, and implications for counties.

  3. 03Translate

    Dense findings became maps, charts, editorial hierarchy, and concise explanations.

  4. 04Publish

    A polished 60+ page report and executive summary were prepared for national distribution.

Selected report system

One visual language.
Three urgent questions.

Analysis

Show where county revenue was most exposed.

Financial findings were organized around the decisions county leaders needed to make—revenue risk, delayed collections, emergency costs, and the resources required to respond.

Analysis of the Fiscal Impact of COVID-19 on Counties / May 2020
Fiscal impact report cover Fiscal report page showing county tax revenue by state Fiscal report page mapping county services for vulnerable residents

System thinking

A bridge between policy expertise and local action.

Research, analytics, editorial design, presentations, web production, signage, and wayfinding extended the same brand logic across government and private-sector partners, including the Gates Foundation and Walmart. Analytics from the work also informed conversations on the Senate floor and in White House settings.

Washington, D.C.Policy + live data
National networkClear reports + tools
County leadersLocal decisions + action

What this demonstrates

Complex policy, ready for local action.

The work demonstrates an ability to enter unfamiliar subject matter, collaborate with experts, find the story inside dense data, and produce a clear, branded system under an unusually compressed deadline.

The report pages shown here are original NACo materials produced during Frank’s tenure and preserved from the existing fjcadle.com portfolio.

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