Hi, I'm Emma. I love serif fonts, parallel sentence structure, live music, marathon running, and finding horses on the side of the highway.
I currently work as a motion designer at The Washington Post, focusing on Instagram stories, social media posts, and custom illustrations and animations across mobile and desktop storytelling.
Previously, I have worked as an editorial designer at Reader's Digest, a tutorial writer at Adobe, and a freelance music video animator.
I graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a double major in journalism and creative writing. (To this day, I still write fiction, some of which is on this site!) I grew up in Brookfield, WI and London, England. You can contact me at emmabiancak@gmail.com with any questions, business inquiries, font suggestions, or favorite episodes of 99% Invisible.
Awards
Society for News Design • World's Best Emerging Designer 2025
Silver medal, digital storytelling portfolio (2025)
Silver medal, social media post for "Who Would Win Gold in the Bird Olympics?" (2025)
Bronze medal, social media post for "Looking to improve your mental health? Pay attention to birds." (2024)
Awards of excellence for product design and animation on Newsprint (2023-2025)
Awards of excellence for social media branding for the U.S. midterm elections (2024)
Awards of excellence for 9 other stories (2022-2024)
Silver medal, social media post for "Who Would Win Gold in the Bird Olympics?" (2025)
Bronze medal, social media post for "Looking to improve your mental health? Pay attention to birds." (2024)
Awards of excellence for product design and animation on Newsprint (2023-2025)
Awards of excellence for social media branding for the U.S. midterm elections (2024)
Awards of excellence for 9 other stories (2022-2024)
The Washington Post, Best Illustrations of the Year
"Beauty, death, and drama: Live bird cams are nature's soap opera" (2024)
"From Rites of Spring to Olivia Rodrigo: How emo conquered pop" (2023)
"The Impermanence of Art in the Digital Age" (2022)
"Love in the Time of Covid" (2022)
"Beauty, death, and drama: Live bird cams are nature's soap opera" (2024)
"From Rites of Spring to Olivia Rodrigo: How emo conquered pop" (2023)
"The Impermanence of Art in the Digital Age" (2022)
"Love in the Time of Covid" (2022)
Journalism Education Association
Wisconsin High School Journalist of the Year, 2016
Wisconsin High School Journalist of the Year, 2016
Thank you!