SND47 Berkley

Brian Gross is the former Head of the Design Department at The Washington Post. He is a newsroom design leader focused on delivering impactful, engaging storytelling through visual journalism, with an emphasis on experimentation and creative risk-taking in service of readers.
At the Post, he led the design team for more than a decade, first as Deputy Design Director and later as Department Head. He worked across the newsroom to deliver hundreds of ambitious projects each year, partnering closely with reporters, photographers, graphics specialists, and developers from concept through publication.
His approach is grounded in journalism fundamentals, prioritizing clarity, strong narrative framing, and tight integration of text and visuals. The work has earned national recognition and awards.

Alberto Lucas López is a Spanish-born journalist who, since 2016, has served as Senior Artist - New Narratives at National Geographic Magazine. In this role, he specializes in the development of innovative approaches to visual storytelling and graphic journalism. His individual work has been honored with more than 200 international awards. Prior to joining National Geographic, he was Graphics Director at Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for News Design and, in recent years, has devoted a significant portion of his time to doctoral research in Arts and Education. He also regularly delivers international lectures and leads workshops on visual storytelling.

Greg Manifold is the former Head of Visuals and Creative Director at The Washington Post. He is a visual and design leader with over 20 years of experience shaping how journalism is experienced across platforms.

At the Post, he led multidisciplinary newsroom teams through periods of transformation, aligning visual storytelling, design strategy, and audience insights to strengthen impact, relevance, and public trust. He is known for building and mentoring high-performing creative teams, establishing clear visual direction grounded in rigor, collaboration, and executional excellence.
He brings a holistic approach to complex, high-stakes storytelling, connecting ideas, disciplines, and teams to deliver cohesive work at scale.

Anna Thurfjell is a Brand Creative Director who loves type, news and brand design. She lives in Copenhagen with her family and black cat. She is passionate about biking, music and the writing of Haruki Murakami.

Thurfjell was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1975. She received an MA from Konstfack University in 2000. She served as the creative director of Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden) from 2003 to 2013, where she directed the custom typeface Sueca in collaboration with Feliciano Type in 2009.

Today she runs her award-winning design studio, which has helped some of Northern Europe's most loved news organizations adapt to the evolving media landscape. Her skill is in developing brand visual identities and news design for media brands by strengthening their graphic and visual design DNA on all touch points. Her clients include Aftonbladet (Sweden), Berlingske (Denmark), Aftenposten (Norway), and Helsingin Sanomat (Finland).

Thurfjell's designs have won multiple awards, including Best in Show and World's Best Designed by SND. Thurfjell has previously given 11 talks in Europe and the United States. She is honored to serve as a judge for SND's 2026 Creative Competition in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.