I'm Amaya Verde

Visual journalist. I find stories that need to be told and the visual form to tell them.

info [at] amayaverde.com
The Washington Post
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My role
I pitched and reported this story after asking myself: how often was I reaching for my phone, and what was it doing to my focus? I spoke with researchers, contacted YouGov, who ran a tailored survey on American phone habits, and collected real usage data from high-frequency users to build Amy, a composite character reflecting actual behavior.
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Reporting • Writing • Graphics • Design
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorPhotoshopFigmaReactGitGoogle Sheets
The Washington Post
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My role
I proposed and reported this story. From the first strikes, I began tracking counts and found data on confirmed locations, filtering the specific attacks and verifying the source methodology along the way. I used color coding to separate Caribbean from Pacific strikes, since news coverage focused almost entirely on Venezuela while many attacks were actually occurring in the Pacific.
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Reporting • Writing • Data Visualization • Graphics
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorPhotoshopFigmaDatawrapperGoogle SheetsExcel
The Washington Post
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My role
I worked on this visual analysis, outlining the story structure early in the reporting process and translating open-source satellite imagery analysis into a custom scrollytelling experience that connected the visual evidence to the wider narrative. The story led the homepage and earned A1 print placement, a case where graphics drove the reporting.
Visual Story • Concept • Satellite Imagery Analysis • Maps • Graphics
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorQGISFigmaReactGitOSINTGoogle Earth
The Washington Post
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My role
I approached the design of this human-centered memorial with great care and delicacy, handling concept, information design, data work, and graphics. The structure was designed to honor individual lives while conveying the scale of loss.
Concept • Information Design • Data Visualization • Graphics
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaRGoogle SheetsReactGit
The Washington Post
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My role
I pitched, reported and wrote this story, consulting with sources and building my own database from scratch, cross-referencing Cabinet records from the Senate, academic centers and presidential archives. The rigorous verification process covered every Cabinet-level position across administrations before I analyzed and visualized the results.
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Reporting • Writing • Data Analysis • Graphics
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaGoogle SheetsR
The Washington Post
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My role
I created an original scrollytelling narrative structure to visualize a population decline of historic proportions, handling data search, analysis, concept, graphics, and information design.
Visual Story • Concept • Data Analysis • Graphics • Information Design
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaAfter EffectsGoogle SheetsReactGit
The Washington Post
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My role
I helped design a visual model that translated policy volatility into clarity, collaborating on interface prototyping, creating custom icons, designing the homepage animation, and updating the data as events evolved.
Visual Story • Concept • Data Visualization • Information Design
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaAfter EffectsGoogle SheetsRReactGit
The Washington Post
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My role
I worked on this story gathering and analyzing the data, building graphics that clarified the scope of Trump’s tariff policy on E.U. goods, the industries most at stake, and the impact on U.S. importers and consumers.
Visual Story • Graphics • Data Visualization
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorGoogle SheetsR
The Washington Post
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My role
I collaborated on the interface design, proposing a grid of GIFs to track the election through the smoke signals, an original visual system that offered instant clarity. I also handled live updates and created the pope names graphic, which was later reused in related coverage.
Visual Story • Reporting • Graphics
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaAfter EffectsGoogle SheetsReactGit
The Washington Post
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My role
In the lead-up to the conclave, I reported and wrote this story, interviewing an expert, handling the data, and working on the graphics charting where the new pope stands among modern predecessors.
Graphics • Reporting • Writing • Data Visualization
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorDatawrapperRGoogle Sheets
Univision
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My role
I proposed this visual story from a unique angle: differentiating Trump’s legal exposure across his three roles as president, businessman, and citizen. I designed the information architecture and an interactive agenda that surfaced upcoming events and removed them as they passed.
Pitch • Concept • Information Design • Visual Storytelling
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaSvelteGitGoogle Sheets
★ Society for News Design (SND) award
Univision
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My role
I pitched, co-reported and designed this visual interactive story. My concept: break down a nearly $3 trillion budget into a single $100 bill, then let readers allocate their own dollars before seeing how Congress actually spends them.
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Reporting • Graphics • Information Design
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaSvelteGitGoogle Sheets
★ Society for News Design (SND) award
Univision
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My role
I wrote and designed the interface for this story, putting Harris and Trump face to face in a distinctive layout that brought polling data to life through its protagonists, using each party’s political colors and a live countdown to election day to give the data a real-time pulse.
Visual Story • Concept • Writing • Design
Tools used
FigmaPhotoshopSvelteGit
Univision
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My role
I proposed this breaking news story and outlined the narrative structure of an event that unfolded overnight in the U.S., working on the graphics to have it published by the American morning.
Visual Story • Concept • Reporting • Graphics
Tools used
Adobe IllustratorFigmaSvelteGitGoogle Earth
Univision
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The value of homes in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years, triggering an unprecedented housing appreciation, where demand far exceeds the available supply
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Reporting • Writing • Graphics • Design
Univision
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You might be surprised by the result of this mini-survey: compare your opinions with those of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to see which one aligns with you more
Concept • Information Design
Univision
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Aerial images depict the effects of Israeli airstrikes on buildings in the Gaza Strip, providing a before-and-after view of the situation
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Maps • Reporting
Univision
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The war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with more than 24,000 dead, Israelis kidnapped, and countless material damages, has unleashed old and new tensions throughout the region
Visual Story • Concept • Maps
Univision
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Discover how unauthorized immigration has been transforming for over 30 years.
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Writing • Design • Graphics
Univision
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The storm crossed Florida after making landfall last night near Siesta Key as a category 3 hurricane.
Concept • Information Design • Reporting • Writing
Univision
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Get ready for an approaching hurricane with these essential steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safe
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Writing • Design
Univision
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These are the key dates and events that will determine the Democratic and Republican candidates who will compete for the White House in November
Concept • Information Design
La Vanguardia
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We explore diplomatic talks between Spanish and U.S. leaders: from Suárez and Carter to Sánchez and Biden
Visual Story • Pitch • Concept • Research • Data Analysis • Graphics
La Vanguardia
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A graphical summary of legislative modifications and the cases in which penalties are reduced or extended
Visual Story Concept • Pitch • Graphics
Government of Spain
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Project Management • User-Centered Design • Concept • Editing • Graphics
My role
Led the concept, design and production of this user-centered vaccination website launched in December 2020. Rather than following typical government website conventions, the site opened with a data visualization answering the question every citizen had: "When will I be vaccinated?" I collaborated with a CSIC biologist to create infographics explaining vaccine mechanisms, ensuring comprehensibility across devices and different levels of health literacy. The site became a key public communication tool during Spain's vaccination rollout.
Government of Spain
Project Management • User-Centered Design • Innovative formats • Branding • Typography
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Government of Spain
Project Management • Design guidelines • Implementation support • Quality checks
View sample: Ministry of Health
Government of Spain
Project Management • Concept • User-Centered Design • Editing • Graphics
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Univision
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A habit that’s putting at risk millions of youth in the United States
Visual Story • Concept • Research • Graphics • 3D
★ Society for News Design (SND) award
Univision
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A report warns heat waves will become more frequent nationwide if decisive action is not taken to mitigate climate change
Interactive • Concept • Research • Data Analysis • Maps • Graphics
Univision
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See through the polls who are the favorites for the presidential nomination among the Democrats
Interactive • Visual Storytelling • Graphics • HTML & CSS
Univision
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Thousands of parents in the US follow the example of their favorite celebrities and they give their infants the same names they use for their children
Visual Story • Concept • Reporting • Data Analysis • Design • HTML & CSS • Graphics
★ ÑH Society for News Design (SND) award
Univision
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Univision News analyzed attacks of this type since the Columbine massacre in 1999
Visual Story • Concept • Graphics • Illustrator
Univision
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When it comes to criticizing Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren seemed to change strategy for the debate
Interactive • Concept • Data Analysis • Graphics • Design
Univision
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Pacific Gas & Electric, California main electricity supplier, investigates a fault in one of its towers that may be linked to the Kincade fire
Visual Story • Concept • Research • Data Analysis • Graphics
Univision
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See which candidate leads the polls today, how much money each one has raised and the amount of support they have received from other leaders of their party
Interactive • Concept • Graphics • Design
Univision
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Univision News asked the 23 declared candidates for the presidency what actions they would take on immigration if they enter the White House in 2020
Interactive • Concept • Graphics • Design
Univision
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After the first presidential debate Kamala Harris now stands as the current favorite among Hispanics eligible to vote in the primary elections
Data Analysis • Graphics
Univision
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The temple was in the midst of repair work when a raging fire broke out for hours threatened to reduce the temple to ashes
Visual Story • Concept • Graphics
Univision
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The singer was murdered, shot in the back, by a friend she was trying to help out
Visual Reconstruction • Concept • Design • HTML & CSS • Graphics
Univision
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We had Meghan Markle try on some wedding dresses – who wouldn’t like to see that? Take a look at how the most famous designs of royalty fit on her
Interactive • Concept • Design • Photoshop • HTML & CSS
Univision
Style as Meghan was designed to empower consumers with verified insight into the Duchess of Sussex's wardrobe and styling choices
Product Design • ConceptResearch • Database • Design • HTML & CSS • Graphics
Univision
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The cabinet has no Hispanics, the biggest minority in the United States
Visual Story • Concept • Data Analysis • Design • Illustrator
Univision
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Discover the nationalities of the squad headed by German coach Jurgen Klinsmann. On the team, 17 of the 23 players have two passports
Concept • Research • Design • HTML & CSS
Univision
The challenge began when Tottenham midfielder, Dele Alli, made this curious gesture to celebrate a goal.
Concept • Reporting • Design • HTML & CSS • Illustrator
Univision
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'Despacito' is said in Mandarin 'Huan huan'. We show you how Luis Fonsi's song changed for China and other countries in the Asian market
Visual Story • Concept • Design • Illustrator