Society for News Design

Society for News Design
Name	Society for News Design
Formation	1979
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	United States
Leader title	Executive Director

Society for News Design is an international professional association for news media designers, art directors, photo editors, and visual journalists. Founded in 1979, it connects practitioners across newspapers, magazines, digital platforms, and broadcast organizations to promote excellence in visual storytelling. The organization convenes competitions, conferences, workshops, and publications that intersect with the practices of editorial design, photojournalism, infographics, and data visualization.

History

Founded in 1979 by a group of newsroom designers in the United States, the organization emerged during a period when publications such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe were investing heavily in visual presentation. Early leadership included designers influenced by work at Time (magazine), Newsweek, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, El País, and Le Monde. The association grew alongside the careers of notable practitioners connected to outlets such as National Geographic (magazine), Life (magazine), The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and San Francisco Chronicle. As computerized pagination, desktop publishing, and digital imaging spread through companies like Adobe Systems, Apple Inc., Microsoft, and Quark, Inc., the group adapted to include digital design conversations. International chapters formed in regions with media centers including Toronto, London, Sydney, São Paulo, Munich, Tokyo, and Seoul, reflecting ties to organizations such as Canadian Press, BBC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Globo (TV network), Der Spiegel, and NHK. Prominent events in visual journalism history such as the rise of data visualization credited to groups like The New York Times graphics department, inflection points like the Digital Revolution (computing), and awards histories connected to Pulitzer Prize winners intersect with the society’s development.

Mission and activities

The association’s stated mission emphasizes excellence in editorial design and visual journalism, aligning with practitioners from photojournalism institutions such as National Press Photographers Association, newsrooms like ProPublica, and academic programs at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Missouri School of Journalism, and Medill School of Journalism. Activities include juried competitions, standards-setting workshops, mentorship programs influenced by initiatives at Knight Foundation, and collaborative projects with organizations such as International Center for Journalists and Committee to Protect Journalists. The group engages with software and hardware vendors including Adobe Creative Cloud, Apple Inc., and Google while acknowledging design research from universities like Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Oxford.

The Best of News Design (SND Awards)

The Best of News Design competition, known widely within industry circles, honors excellence among visual journalists, photographers, illustrators, and infographic artists associated with outlets such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Bloomberg News, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. Winners have included work comparable to pieces recognized by the Pulitzer Prize, World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year International, Emmy Awards for broadcast graphics, and design prizes like the Red Dot Design Award. The competition evaluates print and digital projects, with categories reflecting practices seen at The Guardian Visuals, The Washington Post Graphics Team, The Intercept, and BuzzFeed News.

Membership and organization

Members include art directors, designers, illustrators, photographers, photo editors, developers, and academics from institutions such as The Poynter Institute, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Reuters, Associated Press, and university journalism departments at New York University, University of Missouri, and Northwestern University. The governance structure features regional chapters and elected boards similar to professional bodies like Society of Professional Journalists, National Press Club, Royal Society of Arts, and International Federation of Journalists. Corporate partners have included media companies such as Gannett, Tronc, Hearst Communications, Conde Nast, and technology partners like Canonical (company) and Microsoft Research.

Publications and resources

The organization produces curated galleries, design critiques, and best-practice guides comparable to resources from Nieman Foundation for Journalism and Columbia Journalism Review. It disseminates case studies referencing work done at The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Economist, Financial Times, and Wired (magazine), and highlights projects using tools from D3.js, Tableau Software, Mapbox, and Esri. Educators and students draw on syllabi and tutorials connected to curricula at School of Visual Arts, Royal College of Art, and Rochester Institute of Technology.

Conferences and education

Annual conferences have been hosted in cities linked to major media hubs including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Toronto, Sydney, Madrid, and Seoul. Speakers often include designers and visual journalists associated with Paula Scher, Milton Glaser, David Carson, Chip Kidd, Ellen Lupton, and contemporary newsroom leaders from The New York Times Graphics Department, BBC Visual Journalism, Al Jazeera English, and The Guardian. Educational partnerships and workshops have collaborated with institutions such as Poynter Institute, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, and MIT Media Lab.

Influence and criticism

The association is credited with raising standards across newsrooms exemplified by redesigns at The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe, and influencing visual strategies at digital-native outlets like Vox, Vox Media, Quartz, and Vice Media. Critics compare its juried awards and standards to critiques leveled at institutions like Pulitzer Prize Board and World Press Photo regarding selection bias, editorial conservatism, and gatekeeping. Debates mirror conversations in forums such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and panels at SXSW, ONA (Online News Association), and ICFP (International Conference on Functional Programming)-style gatherings where inclusivity, diversity, and the ethics of visual storytelling are discussed.

Category:Design organizations