Cassidy Grom

Published May 2020

Unpaid and unanswered

Thousands of out-of-work New Jerseyans were stuck in the unemployment system; I knew there had to be a better way to tell the story.

Art direction

Investigative journalism

Published November 2020

Election Results

I created a website to house Associated Press election maps and charts for NJ.com. This site has garnered over 400,000 page views.

Bootstrap

App testing

CSS

Published August 2021

Diverse Source Database

A resource for reporters across the state to find sources.

Front-end

Crowdsourcing

Branding

Published March 2020

Coronavirus Tracker

We set up a system for reporters to input and track cases and deaths announced at daily press conferences. We scraped the data and piped it into a mobile-first dashboard. My duties were primarily front-end.

HTML/CSS

Bootstrap

Wireframes

Published December 2019

The Day that changed Everything

I dug through archival photos and requested drone footage for this long-form feature. After publication, a film company bought the rights to the story. The Online News Association called it "resplendently designed."

Research

Adobe Suite

Typography

Published April 2020

Business Database

During the government-mandated shutdown, residents wondered which local businesses were still open. I created a crowdsourcing form and trained reporters to vet entries. I designed the front end using our brand guidelines and wrote the site's copy.

Branding

Crowdsourcing

Training

Published August 2020

The Hero We Deserve

It was supposed to be an Esquire-like profile, but the infamous Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot wouldn't sit still for a portrait. I worked with what we had and designed a feature that was as zany as the orange monster himself.

Art Direction

CSS

Social Media

Published October 2019

Gone at 15

I added a suicide hotline button at the top of this story to enable readers to get help if they needed it. After its publication, state education leaders vowed to invest in student mental health services. It was an ONA finalist.

Mapping

Art Direction

CSS

Published August 2020

Education Homepage

We created a React app powered by a Google form. I performed market research, created wireframes, chose branding and designed accompanying social assets. I also trained editors on how to input and curate the homepage.

CSS

Form responses

Adobe Suite

Published August 2020

Power Outage Tracker

When hurricanes and wind storms hit, residents want to know if they are the only ones experiencing power outages. I designed the front end and social assets, conducted user-experience tests, and coordinated with newsroom editors to create these resource guides.

Data Viz

Project Management

Published April 2020

24 Hours in Crisis

Thirty reporters logged minute-by-minute reports, detailing a day during the height of the first wave of COVID-19. My job was to predict what they would bring back and create templates to rapidly process and present the assets and text.

Handlebars

Templating

Art Direction

Published October 2020

Primed for Pandemic

To cover the ever-evolving story I had to reinvent this project several times. Stock footage, shader tricks, and maps helped readers visualize the spread of an invisible virus.

Video Editing

Scrolly-telling

Published December 2019

Cannabis Insider

I worked with the content innovation team and advertising teams to tweak branding and launch a new home page for Cannabis Insider. Currently, I am the technology lead on their content management and paywall migration.

Marketing

HTML/CSS

Javascript

Published August 2019

Syd the Star

An article about a rising Olympic athlete and fashion icon deserved an edgy design. I dreamed big and added angular text sections, photomontages, and sleek GIFs.

Photoshop

Illustrator

CSS

Launched Spring 2019

Student Press Coalition

Taylor University censored its student press, so I researched how 136 sister institutions treated their student newspapers, then sparked a national conversation and change.

Press coverage [1], [2],[3],[4]
Our process
Research Website

Research

Advocacy

Leadership