About Us
It's not really about us, it's about you. Specifically it's about making your products, services, and company more successful. Our dedicated team has the expertise and talent to help make that happen.
Applebaum Associates was founded in 1982 by Lila Applebaum when this visionary marketing consultant recognized the need for a specialized focus on developing marketing identities. Ms. Applebaum had gained invaluable experience at Lefkowith Inc., a large corporate communications firm based in New York City, and decided to strike out on her own. Applebaum Associates developed into a tightly knit team of smart, dedicated professionals working together on every project—a successful formula still employed today.
Lynn Haviland—President
Lynn Haviland joined Applebaum Associates as Vice President and took over active leadership of the company in 1997. A Smith College graduate, Lynn has a background in neuropsychology and marketing, with language studies in Italian, French, and Latin. She is a recognized expert in the field of brand identity and name development, and takes an active role in both creative and strategic work at Applebaum. Lynn enthusiastically continues the Applebaum tradition of building lasting client relationships by meeting the specific needs of each project with a steadfast commitment to excellence.
Matt Ryder—Project Director
Matt Ryder's skills and enthusiasm have helped shape Applebaum into the company it is today. His unique range of talents—years of copywriting, a degree and training in music composition, and speaking Spanish—along with his eye for detail have added immeasurably to our team.
Madeline Guven—Project Manager
Madeline Guven joined Applebaum Associates in 1999. She has a degree in graphic design from Pratt Institute, complemented by language studies in Turkish and Spanish. Madeline brings to Applebaum her experience working as a graphic designer on a range of corporate and brand identity programs for several New York corporate communications firms. She is equally comfortable in the world of words, using her creative insight and esthetic sense to develop memorable marketing identities.
Dirk Kammerzell—Creative Director
Educated in visual communication in Mainz, Germany, Dirk’s work has been featured in many publications and has won numerous awards around the globe. The re-branding campaign for M&M's was voted into the "10 Big Ideas in Marketing" by Advertising Age. Dirk began his design career at Pentagram in London working on projects for Deutsche Telekom and Swatch. He then joined Interbrand to work on the re-branding for British Airways, Barclays, and IBM. After relocating to the Amsterdam office to lead the creative on branding GM Opel, Dirk moved to Melbourne to start up Interbrand's Australian creative offering. In 2002 he moved to New York and continued to create visual brand identities for companies such as Lipton, Pepsi, Reebok, Sun Microsystems, and Pfizer. Dirk also lectures in brand identity at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons in New York.
Alexandra Ioannidou—Branding Associate
Alexandra Ioannidou became a Branding Associate at Applebaum in 2007. With a background in business and language studies (English, Spanish, French, plus her native Greek), Alexandra is currently finishing a PhD in linguistics. Her expertise is an asset at Applebaum, providing insight into word etymology, morphology (the study of the meaningful parts of words), and phonology (the study of sounds) to create marketing identities and assess the connotation and emotional impact of words.
Vicky Forster—Branding Associate
Vicky Forster has been with Applebaum since 2000, and continues to impress with her flair for language and unique perspectives. Her undergraduate work at Wesleyan University included language studies in French, and she went on to receive an MSW from New York University. Vicky brings intellect, enthusiasm, creativity, and psychological insight to bear on each project.
Holly Caster—Branding Associate
Holly Caster has been with Applebaum since 2007. Her background as a writer and journalist provide her with the skills to find creative solutions to communication challenges. Holly has become an invaluable addition to Applebaum, and has shown that there’s very little she can’t take on and master.