317: Iconic Publishing Brands in Digital Spaces with Nicola Ryan of Condé Nast
- Diana Varma
- Jul 9
- 2 min read
Welcome back Magazine Makers!
We’re having conversations with magazine-makers— big and small, new and seasoned, independent and commercial—from all over the world, who are sharing what they do and how they do it. This year’s line up includes folks making magazines for kids, art and culture, as well as luxury lifestyle magazines, and a massive global publisher who covers all of this and more. There’s something for everyone in these 4 episodes.
This fourth and final episode features Nicola Ryan, Vice President of Product Design at Condé Nast. She is a design leader working at the intersection of brand, storytelling and technology. She is currently Vice President of Product Design at Condé Nast, having previously worked at Pentagram, Karmarama and The Telegraph. Throughout her career, Nicola has led teams in designing digital experiences for iconic brands such as Vogue, the New Yorker and the Times of London. She's focused on how great design can scale yet remain distinct, and how iconic brands can transform towards the future.
In this conversation, you’ll hear about Nicola’s career path that has led to her current role. Nicola shares how she thinks about designing for scale across so many publishing brands, including a toolkit that has drastically reduced the time it takes to reimagine visual design changes for brands like Wired and Architectural Digest, including how she helps brands balance consistent processes and experimentation. You’ll hear the specific ways Nicola and her team are thinking about and thoughtfully integrating AI in their creative workflow. We talk about boredom, critique, and the importance of trust-building as a creative leader.
This episode was recorded as part of a guest lecture series in DG 8111 Digital Publishing in Spring 2026 at The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Let’s listen in…
About Our Guest:
Nicola Ryan is a design leader working at the intersection of brand, storytelling and technology. She is currently Vice President of Product Design at Condé Nast, having previously worked at Pentagram, Karmarama and The Telegraph.
Throughout her career, Nicola has led teams in designing digital experiences for iconic brands such as Vogue, the New Yorker and the Times of London. She's focused on how great design can scale yet remain distinct, and how iconic brands can transform towards the future. She lives in the UK, with her husband, three children and two cats.
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