I am an art director and visual editor working across political and lifestyle media, shaping how readers experience stories and content through visuals, design, and story architecture.

I bring deep experience in visual storytelling, spanning daily and breaking news stories, enterprise reporting, special projects, and product launches. I work closely with reporters, editors or stakeholders to determine how design can best serve the reporting or business goals. Across a wide range of tones and subjects—from investigative work to lighter cultural content—my approach is guided by strong editorial judgment and refined aesthetic taste.

As a leader, I’ve managed individual designers and teams, editing work while supporting professional growth and development. I’ve worked across editorial, product, and marketing teams to establish and maintain consistent visual language across platforms. I’ve partnered extensively with freelance artists, defining scopes, managing budgets, and building collaborative relationships that honor creative vision while being thoughtful about time, resources, and constraints.

My work has been recognized by the Society for News Design, including bronze medals for illustration commission, individual art direction portfolio (here, here, and here), team art direction portfolio (here, here, and here) and newsletter design. An illustration commission was also a finalist for a National Magazine Award.

Previously: POLITICO, National Journal, USA Today, Foreign Policy, Washingtonian

E-mail: erin.aulov@gmail.com