Greg Manifold
Innovative visual and design leader with 20+ years of experience shaping how journalism is experienced across platforms. I’ve led large, multidisciplinary newsroom teams through periods of transformation, aligning visual storytelling, design strategy, and audience insight to increase impact, relevance, and public trust. Known for building and mentoring high-performing creative teams, I set a clear visual direction grounded in rigor, collaboration, and excellence. I bring a holistic perspective to complex, high-stakes storytelling – connecting ideas, disciplines, and people to deliver cohesive work at scale.
The Washington Post
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Directed and edited visual storytelling across all editorial touchpoints while leading over 170 journalists over seven departments (Design, Video, Photography, Audio, Graphics, front-end development, and visual storytelling editing).
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Instilled a data-driven and reader-centric approach for news coverage and projects resulting in higher conversion rates, longer engagement times, and off-platform growth. Emphasized accessibility and best practices in all web development.
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Established and maintained a unified design aesthetic across all editorial and social media platforms. Collaborated with Product and Marketing to ensure brand integrity and enhance user experience for new features.
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Cultivated improved collaboration between visual teams at a time of shifting business and audience needs. Played a pivotal role in the restructuring of a 900-person newsroom to support a true 24/7 global news operation, working in close partnership with Product, Product Design, and Engineering to align organizational design, workflows, and roadmaps.
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Fostered partnerships with technology and media companies — including Apple, YouTube, and Google — that led to hundreds of millions of pageviews.
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Built out a dedicated news development team to create visual templates and custom projects, driving 90M pageviews in 2024 and exceeding key newsroom benchmarks by more than 50%.
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Developed teams recognized globally for their creativity and innovation. The Post was twice named the World’s Best-Designed digital site (2020, 2025) by the Society for News Design and won multiple Pulitzer Prize awards for visually-led coverage – including the American Icon project and for the breaking news coverage of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
2005 - 2025
Head of Visuals
Creative Director
Design Director
Deputy Design Director
Senior Designer
Deputy Sports Editor
Sports Designer
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Society for News Design
World's Best-Designed Digital site
[2020, 2025]
SND World’s Best-Designed Newspaper
[Five-time finalist]
Society for Publication Designers
Webby's
Key projects
Produced the virtual reality film on a school shooting which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival, earned a Webby Award, and was screened at 16 international film festivals.
The Mueller Report Illustrated
Served as a visual editor for the innovative graphic novel adaptation. Published as a book by Simon & Schuster.
Presidential candidate illustrations
Commissioned and art directed illustrations by Ben Kirchner of every Presidential candidate – more than 50 in all – during the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Election cycles. The illustrations were a staple of The Post's coverage across platforms.
Google Amp Stories partnership
Led a multi-functional team to develop mobile tap-based storytelling in partnership with the Google AMP Stories (aka Stamp) initiative, producing over 400 stories within 18 months and shaping the format into a standardized newsroom template.
Podcast suite rebrand
Implemented a rebrand of The Post’s podcast suite to improve continuity and boost discoverability/engagement within Spotify
and Apple ecosystems.
Custom interactive template
In 2020, created a dedicated news development team to foster custom projects, driving 90 million pageviews in 2024 and exceeding key newsroom benchmarks by more than 50 percent.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
2001 - 2005
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Led the newspaper’s special section and live coverage for major sporting events including the Olympics, local PGA tournaments, and Super Bowl XXXVIII which was hosted in
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San Diego. Involved in the planning and execution of the daily visual coverage of sports. Collaborated with graphics, photographers, and editors to ensure a successful product. San Diego Union-Tribune Visual Journalist of the Year for 2003.
Other work experience
Freelance project
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Northwestern University’s Next Gen News 2 visual identity, website, social, and print report
The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, Calif.), 1997 - 2001
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Lead designer for the sports section, while also reporting on collegiate, high school, and professional sporting events. Assignment editor for daily Great Outdoors page.
About Me
Education: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo [B.S. in Journalism, Ethnic Studies minor]
Professional Organizations: Society for News Design, Society of Publication Designers and Online News Association
Writing: “The Opinions Essay: Art of darkness” (By Greg Manifold, 2020, in English and Turkish)