Nico Macdonald

Current

Chair at Innovation Forum (Sole Proprietorship)
Owner at Spy (Sole Proprietorship)

Past

Chair at Experience Design London
Co-founder at Ascendant Partners Limited
Owner at Spy (Sole Proprietorship)

Design strategy, New Media Department at Guardian Media Group
Digital Design Director at MetaDesign London
MD and founder at Spy Graphics (Sole Proprietorship)

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Education

London School of Economics
Lewes Priory

Recommended

4 people have recommended Nico

Connections

466 connections

Industry

Writing and Editing

Websites

Nico Macdonald’s Summary

Worked as an IT consultant with magazine and newspaper publishers and design studios. Learned how to create working systems that people could use based on commercially available tools.

Grew into developing publishing strategies for publishers moving online but also retaining print publications. Developed models for helping print designers learn about interaction design for the Web (and other screen-based platforms). Worked as director of digital design in a major design consutlancy, and design strategist for a major newspaper.

Developed writing careers around design and technology, with a focus on interactive media and tools, and around social and business aspects of these activities. Also developed event programming capability, and public speaking skills (including broadcast).

Built business strategy skills as a founding partner in an Internet-focused business consultancy, working with diverse clients in the UK and abroad.

Lead self-initiated research projects funded by commercial sponsors. Focused on substantial writing projects, including books and heavily researched book chapters.

Developed role in SME consulting in a semi-management role. Built skills in bringing together, managing and inspiring remote teams for Web development projects.

Goals include: creating, through research, writing, events and broadcasting, a richer understanding of innovation processes; facilitating innovation around IT in organisations; identifying barriers to innovation; creating networks to facilitate development of knowledge and improving professional practice.

Nico Macdonald’s Specialties:

Business strategy around information technology and design
Design strategy for interactive products
Publishing strategy for print and online
Project development, coordiation and management, including chairing meetings
Design management
Collaboration strategy around IT tools
Writing documents and copy

Nico Macdonald’s Experience

Chair
Innovation Forum (Sole Proprietorship)

(Sole Proprietorship; Myself Only; Think Tanks industry)

February 2007 — Present (2 years 10 months)

Chair of the Innovation Forum, a public, cross-disciplinary event series for understanding, critiquing and championing innovation
Owner
Spy (Sole Proprietorship)

(Sole Proprietorship; Myself Only; Writing and Editing industry)

January 2001 — Present (8 years 11 months)

Communication, facilitation, research and consultancy around design and technology.
Chair

Experience Design London

(Non-Profit; Myself Only; Events Services industry)

February 2000 — September 2006 (6 years 8 months)

The objective of the Experience Design London group was to facilitate learning, discussion and debate amongst people working in experience design, with designers working in other areas, and with people connected with experience design, including engineers, writers, and clients.
Co-founder

Ascendant Partners Limited

(Partnership; 1-10 employees; Management Consulting industry)

June 1999 — December 2000 (1 year 7 months)

A strategy company focusing on Internet-related business innovation (London, UK). I combined new business development with consulting and project management, internal communication and external PR. Clients Associated New Media, BT, Touchfire (Bolt UK), Focus Do-It-All, Haymarket Publishing, Idealab! (Scan UK), Showstudio, McCarthy O’Connor, National Britannia, and USA Interactive (now IAC/InterActiveCorp).
Owner
Spy (Sole Proprietorship)

(Sole Proprietorship; Myself Only; Internet industry)

March 1998 — May 1999 (1 year 3 months)

Online publishing consultancy.
Design strategy, New Media Department

Guardian Media Group

(Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Online Media industry)

August 1997 — February 1998 (7 months)

Guardian Media Group is a national media organisation (London, UK). I worked with the New Media Department art director to research and develop interface design solutions for the Guardian Unlimited network.
Digital Design Director

MetaDesign London

(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Online Media industry)

February 1997 — June 1997 (5 months)

A branding and corporate identity consultancy (London, UK), with offices in Berlin and San Francisco. I led the development of the digital design capability combined with client consultancy and project implementation strategy.
MD and founder
Spy Graphics (Sole Proprietorship)

(Sole Proprietorship; 1-10 employees; Media Production industry)

January 1989 — January 1997 (8 years 1 month)

A consultancy and production house working with publishers and designers (London, UK). We provided IT strategy consultancy to publishers and design agencies to “help them do what the did better and to a higher standard”. We developed magazine production facilities for publishers transitioning to in house production and worked closely with magazine design consultants to maximise design values. Clients included Emap, Euromoney Publications, Haymarket Publishing, Times Newspapers, the MIT Press, The British Film Institute, the Pet Shop Boys Partnership, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Crafts Council, Wordsearch, Creation Records (Sony), the National Art-Collections Fund.

Nico Macdonald’s Education

London School of Economics

None , Law , September 1985 — March 1988

Law at the LSE turned out to be a vocational rather than an academic subject. My desire to be the next Michael Mansfield/Gareth Peirce/(insert-upstanding civil-rights-lawyer-here) waned as a appreciated how limited is the scope of action for such fine people. I left to pursue interests in electronic publishing I had developed during a summer internship in Washington, DC.

Activities and Societies:

Editorial and production team for The Beaver (student union newspaper)
Lewes Priory

September 1977 — June 1984

A-level maths, physics, chemistry; O-level French, English language and literature, art history. Lewes Priory is a comprehensive school, for better or worse.

Activities and Societies:

Basketball team member. Rugby first XV (full back).