NEWSPAPER PRINT DESIGN: GEOLOGY OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN
In this visual story published in The Seattle Times, readers can learn how the geology of central Washington—the Columbia River Basin—was formed first by lava floods and then by ice age floods.
The print design recently won First Place in the Best of the West journalism contest.
“This visual field trip on how to read the landscape of the Columbia River Basin was an effective solution to a design issue of how to illustrate geologic history going back millions of years. It’s a welcoming, engaging, and highly accessible presentation that brings a complex subject vividly to life, making it both readable and memorable.” —Judge, Best of the West
I was proud to work on all aspects of the reporting including writing, illustrations, maps, online development, and print design. Explore the print replica below, or view the interactive scrolling story.
Process
The geology illustrations grew out of an interview with Central Washington University geology professor Nick Zentner, host of the popular Nick on the Rocksvideo series.
Once you know how to “read the rocks,” you can read the history of Washington. I sought to convey that idea through visual storytelling. While Nick talked about geology, I was busy sketching, listening, and gathering as many visual notes as I could.
“While field sketching, I observe on a deeper level. I notice more than I would passing by, because I’m forced to capture the basic shapes, proportions, light and shadow. I take notes on colors, textures, proportions, and patterns. I think about how I might build the final layout. Accuracy is less of a concern—field sketching is more about capturing the moment.” —Fiona Martin
In this ink sketch of a roadside cut, Fiona designed and stylized quite a bit—the real scene was incredibly detailed and large. The resulting sketch shows only the most important elements needed to tell the story. Later in her studio, Fiona created a color version that served as the backdrop for several illustrations.
Here’s a peek at my original sketches and storyboard. I planned the scrolling story across 16 panels, pairing draft text with rough maps and illustrations to establish the narrative sequence and pacing. Storyboarding helped me determine what information was best communicated visually and how each scene could build on the last, carrying readers through millions of years of geologic history to the present day, where geologist Nick Zentner shows us how to recognize evidence of Washington’s ancient past in the landscape around us.
For the final color renderings, I painted the illustrations in Procreate on an iPad using an Apple Pencil. My digital painting technique captures the expressive texture and character of traditional acrylic or oil painting while retaining the flexibility of editable layers for an efficient production workflow.
Tap any thumbnail below to view the illustrations at a larger size.
Geologist Nick Zentner inspects a roadside cut near Granger, Washington. He is standing on cobbles transported by the
ancient Columbia River. The vertical wall is composed of ice age flood deposits and windblown loess—ideal for growing crops like grapes
and wheat. (Illustration by Fiona Martin / The Seattle Times)Nick Zentner holds a
10-million-year-old quartzite river cobble from the ancient Columbia River, identified
by its blond exterior
and sparkling
white interior. (Illustration by Fiona Martin / The Seattle Times)Grand Coulee Dam was built within a canyon first carved by lava flows and ice age floods. Today, there are 31 dams in the Columbia River Power System, and many more dams throughout the vast Columbia River Basin. The river is the country’s largest source of hydropower. (Illustration by Fiona Martin / The Seattle Times)
Next, I brought the illustrations and maps together in the scrolling story, “Born of Fire and Ice,” using custom HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The scrollytelling format reveals the landscape’s geologic history step by step, transforming a complex sequence of events into an immersive visual narrative that helps readers understand how the Columbia River Basin took shape over millions of years.
Finally, I adapted the digital experience for print—a very different design challenge. The story was unusually visual, with a large number of maps and illustrations and relatively little text, and the interactive sequence had to be reimagined for a static page. I reorganized and scaled the graphics to establish a clear visual hierarchy and narrative flow while preserving the sense of discovery that made the scrolling version work. The resulting two-page design was published across C1 and C2 of the Local section.
I’m especially proud that the print version earned First Place Page Design in the 2026 Best of the West competition.
This project was a deeply collaborative effort, and I couldn’t have completed it without Nick Zentner’s expert analysis, Lynda Mapes’ foundational reporting, and the talented staff at The Seattle Times, who spent countless hours editing, refining and supporting the story.
