Zachary Balcoff
Current Title: News Designer
Organization: The Washington Post
Country: United States
Candidate for: Director
Vision for SND
I would bring to the Board of Directors of the Society for News Design a passion for student and entry-level designer engagement, a first-hand experience of how AI effects young designers entering the industry (as well as an understanding of how it is externally perceived) and a support for strong social media strategy.
SND should put more focus towards fostering engagement from students and young designers. Even within the past two Creative Competitions I have attended, then as a student, I saw firsthand how an increase in entry-level volunteers can enhance the reach of the organization as well as the energy of the judging process itself. As the competition now encompasses the former student competition, which I helped lead in it’s final year at Michigan State University, I think it is crucial to have that representation on the board.
As the former president of Michigan State University’s Society for News Design, I organized speakers from publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and Variety magazine. I also helped gather six students who volunteered in-person at the 2025 competition.
There are currently seven student chapters in the U.S. listed on the SND website, with only three additional international student chapters and of these most are no longer active. That is a small fraction of the over 115 accredited schools of journalism in the U.S. alone (with more than double that number of unaccredited programs, according to the Knight Foundation). To stay relevant in defining the world’s best design, I would push for outreach to as many universities as possible with journalism (or creative advertising and design) schools. As a former leader of a student chapter, I could help create clearer and more robust guidance, strategies for chapter sustainability and resources and expectations for how to run one’s own.
In terms of AI use in the design space, I would work with the board to create a comprehensive mission statement on how SND uses, dismisses and adjudicates AI work in design spaces. To remain a reputable society, I would make sure SND engages with transparency in AI uses – including how AI is used in the judging process. Even in last year’s competition, there were entries which likely included AI – I think it is necessary that the entry audit also includes guidance around how to identify and contact organizations around suspected AI use. I understand that AI is a powerful force in allowing for faster-paced creation, but it should not be a part of the work that is judged. As the code of ethics states, “our work will be free from fraud and deception.”
Through working on social design for The Washington Post, Michigan State University and on SND’s Communications and Outreach committee, I have an understanding of how strong and compelling visual-first content can drive engagement across platforms. As an avid social media user in my free team, I understand how much influence the platform plays on the future of trends. On SND’s board, I would support the ongoing actions to revitalize SND’s social presence and art direction.
Designers often use Pinterest and similar types of searchable collections to curate their design inspirations. As a collection of the world’s best design each year, SND’s showcase for Creative Competition results should serve it’s audience as a more engaging and accessible feature. The current Airtable window is less intuitive on mobile, making it difficult to search. As SND no longer creates physical look books, the website’s result page should be updated to meet this past caliber.
Thank you so much for your consideration, I would love to discuss how my goals align with SND’s mission for the future.
About Zachary
I am a news designer at The Washington Post working across print, digital and social media platforms. I graduated with a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University in 2025 and have minors in graphic design, animation & comics storytelling in media, and theatre. I have been involved in journalism since seventh grade and have won more than 40 journalistic awards on the state and national level, including for SND’s 46th Creative Competition. I love embracing creativity across a multitude of mediums.