Sue Apfelbaum is a content strategist and editorial consultant. She is the co-author of Designing the Editorial Experience (editorialexperience.com), a book about editorial design and user experience.
22 Iconic New York Music Logos Explained
Def Jam, the Ramones, Wu-Tang Clan, DFA, and more: The story behind nearly two dozen of the most iconic logos in New York music history.
In verdant White Lake, New York, near where Woodstock took place, the seeds of thrash-metal band Anthrax’s visual identity were first planted. Though he grew up in Rockland County, guitarist Dan Spitz and his family would spend summers upstate, and through his older brother Dave – later a bassist for Black Sabbath – he became friends with a local teen named ...
Dissolve | How to plan your movie using storyboarding
I wrote this content-marketing article and several others for a new stock video footage company called Dissolve (dissolve.com). This piece on storyboarding is written for those who are just getting started making videos and might be considering how existing footage can work for them.
Surface | A Wallpaper that's Anything but Flat
This a feature story I wrote for Surface Magazine (Sept 2012) about artist Jacob Hashimoto's collaboration with Maharam Digital Projects. The focus is on "How It's Made" and the elaborate process of transforming Hashimoto's massive three-dimensional sculptures into two-dimensional mural-wallpaper hybrids.
Logo Design and the Rewards of Doing Real Journalism — IMHO
Logo Design and the Rewards of Doing Real Journalis...
Communication Arts | Agency Profile: Code and Theory
For the 2014 Advertising Annual, I profiled Code and Theory, the creative agency behind editorial sites for Interview, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as content-driven campaigns for brands such as Dr. Pepper and Maybelline.
Designing the Editorial Experience (Book)
I co-authored this book about editorial design across media, featuring 26 interviews, 19 case studies, and a straightforward set of principles for designing serial reading experiences on any platform.
Communication Arts | Profile: Connie Zhou
Connie Zhou applies a documentary approach to architectural photography and was fascinating to profile for CA's May/June 2014 issue.
Communication Arts | Profile: Victo Ngai
I wrote about rising-star illustrator Victo Ngai for the March/April issue of Communication Arts.
What I Learned from Spending Way Too Much Money to See Fleetwood Mac
An essay I wrote on Medium about how a ticket scam almost kept me from seeing one of the most meaningful rock shows of my life.
Adobe | Abi-Haus by Ryan Feerer
This is a story I wrote about designer, educator, and illustrator Ryan Feerer for Adobe's inspiration blog, Design Center (now Inspire).
AIGA | The Designer as Filmmaker: An Interview with Mike Mills
An interview with award-winning filmmaker Mike Mills, who began his career as a graphic designer. Although he did many interviews for his movie Beginners, this was the only one that addressed how design has influenced his approach to making films.
Communication Arts | Profile: Ellen Weinstein
For the March/April 2013 issue I profiled illustrator Ellen Weinstein. Her insightful work for such publications as The New York Times, The Atlantic, TIME, and The Washington Post, makes ample use of vibrant color and draws on her collections of vintage photographs, postcards, and memorabilia.
LEMON | Kehinde Wiley Delivers a Portrait Fit for a King
This is a short piece I wrote for LEMON 5, focused on the King of Pop. I interviewed Kehinde Wiley about his portrait commission for Michael Jackson, who died before it was completed.
Surface | Q+A with Prem Krishnamurthy
The P! Gallery founder and Project Projects principal talks about curating art and ideas from a design perspective.
The Daily Note | Anthrax Logo Story
The Anthrax logo explained. Issue 3, April 30, 2013.