Carl Nolting
All work
Next Issue Media

Start-up acquired by Apple News+

UX and visual flows for the all-you-can-read magazine platform that rebranded as Texture, passed 240,000 subscribers, and was acquired by Apple News+. Presentations and prototypes helped raise $50M in funding.

01/The Challenge

It was the ultimate information-aggregation problem: turn 300+ print magazines, each with its own layout language, into a single, coherent digital subscription that stays discoverable across every screen size.

02/The Approach

Working with the design and engineering teams, I created UX wireframes, UI design specs and prototypes for user testing and internal reviews: converting print magazine layouts into responsive digital grids, designing discovery through search and a daily Top Stories feed, and building offline downloading for commuters and travelers.

03/The Outcome

KKR invested in the platform; it rebranded as Texture, passed 240,000 subscribers, and was acquired by Apple News+, folding into a service that reached 85M monthly users.

Apple News+
Texture acquired by Apple in 2018 · folded into Apple News+
240K
Subscribers on Texture before the acquisition
85M / mo
Apple News+ monthly users · the service Texture folded into
Motion study: shared publicly
Material Design tablet prototype
Gallery · 6 frames