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Artwork for Works But Makes Noises
Home-Cooked Software
Electric Bikes
Design Studios
Affinity By Canva
Freelance Design
Zohran Mamdani
Creative Uniforms
CES
Photoshop
Graphic Design
Apple
Figma
Soft Services
Halloween
Shire Day
Airpods
AI Robots
Utah 2034 Olympics
Robotics
AI Design Tools

Two designers on opposite coasts talk their way through creativity, culture, and tech. It’s a podcast about everything except design, that somehow always ends up being about design.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes14Founded7 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DesignArtsTechnology

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Works But Makes Noises

Latest Episodes

This week we're getting moooooody – moodboards, that is!

First we talk David's new iOS app Archiv, which lets you photograph and catalogue what's around you. Then we wade into the thorny world of design inspiration, copying, and downright plagiarism... more

This week we're joined by Estee Kim, VP of Design at Soft Services, the cult-favorite body care brand known for its meticulous design and packaging.

We talk on multi-generational design families, her parents’ graphic design and signage shop in Phila... more

electric car shopping and EV tradeoffs, figma comments and modern design feedback, fragmented feedback across tools, structuring better client critique, feedback psychology and confidence, figma shortcuts and workflows, productivity tools we don’t us... more

surf forecasting tools and building personal software, jacob’s 70’s surf rack archive and design lineage, figma config branding and pushing beyond the parent brand, using ai to study and learn through narrative instead of memorization, planning a ret... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Estee Kim
VP of Design at Soft Services
Soft Services
Episode: Designing With Emotion, Elastic Branding, and Band Dynamics with guest Estee Kim, VP of Design at Soft Services
Allan Yu
Co-founder of Output, a messaging app for groups and communities
Output
Episode: Special Guest Allan Yu on Going From Designer to Founder, Pivoting Your Startup, and Why AI Should Be Invisible
Elizabeth Goodspeed
A designer with a significant archive of design references, a design writer and critic, and a professor at RISD.
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
Episode: Special Guest Elizabeth Goodspeed on Design Education, Experimental Branding, Weird References, and Archiving Everything

Hosts

Jacob
Co-host of the show; long-running host with a primary involvement in design discussions and personal projects.
David
Co-host of the show; known for pragmatic takes on design, tech culture, and industry trends.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 19 ratings
  • Digging this one

    🤙

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ill-d
    United States2 months ago
  • Best design podcast

    Spend time with two fun, kind and bright minds talking about the real challenges of designing today sans the bro vibes of most design or tech podcasts.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    bravomartin
    United States2 months ago
  • very dope, keep going

    🤙

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    hbeebee22
    United States2 months ago
  • Great

    Second best design podcast in the world

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    T-Pain 2026
    United States4 months ago
  • 🙌

    A much needed design pod

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MaxK
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the candid, opinionated dialogue between hosts and guests.
The show blends practical design workflow with thoughtful takes on AI and automation.
Fans enjoy the mix of humor, personal anecdotes, and industry insights, making episodes feel approachable yet insightful.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#165
United Kingdom/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#123
Italy/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#87
Philippines/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#88
Indonesia/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#93
Mexico/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#108
India/Arts/Design

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Designing With Emotion, Elastic Branding, and Band Dynamics with guest Estee Kim, VP of Design at Soft Services
Q: How did Estee's background influence her design approach?
Estee's upbringing around a graphic design shop and her grandmother's collage practice seeded a deep appreciation for materiality, typography, and the emotional resonance of visuals, which she now channels into brand storytelling and product design at Soft Services.
Designing With Emotion, Elastic Branding, and Band Dynamics with guest Estee Kim, VP of Design at Soft Services
Q: What is Soft Services, and what kind of company is it?
Soft Services is a body skincare brand and care company that focuses on creating products with a strong emotional and sensory identity, from fragrance to packaging, while maintaining a practical, functional core.
Special Guest Allan Yu on Going From Designer to Founder, Pivoting Your Startup, and Why AI Should Be Invisible
Q: How did you decide between bootstrapping and taking on investors?
Bootstrapping can be painful and isn't always feasible; Allan notes the current venture-backed path has provided credibility and growth constraints that help push product-market fit, especially at the pre-seed stage.
Special Guest Allan Yu on Going From Designer to Founder, Pivoting Your Startup, and Why AI Should Be Invisible
Q: Allan, what is your founding team looking like and who are your co-founders' skill sets?
The team is small: two full-time founders—Allan as designer and Jacob as the technical lead—plus a founding engineer and an iOS-focused contributor; the group is complemented by a small operations/communications backbone.
Special Guest Elizabeth Goodspeed on Design Education, Experimental Branding, Weird References, and Archiving Everything
Q: What is the experimental component in your branding class?
It's about exploring unconventional approaches to branding, including unique constraints and formats.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Works But Makes Noises

What is Works But Makes Noises about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Two designers on opposite coasts chat about creativity, culture, and technology, with conversations spanning practical design workflows, AI's role in production, and personal projects from surf culture to brand tooling. Episodes repeatedly circle around how agents and AI-assisted workflows reshape craft, the balance between handmade process and automation, and how community, events, and education shape the design world. Notable threads include hands-on tool conversations (like live prototyping and code-enabled workflows), debates about authenticity and imperfection, and a candid look at freelancing vs running a studio. The show often blends casual banter with thoughtful takes on how design history, education, and industry trends intersect w... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Works But Makes Noises?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Works But Makes Noises:

1. TBPN
2. Hard Fork
3. ACCESS
4. Middlebrow
5. How I AI

How many episodes of Works But Makes Noises are there?

Works But Makes Noises launched 7 months ago and published 14 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Works But Makes Noises?

Recent guests on Works But Makes Noises include:

1. Estee Kim
2. Allan Yu
3. Elizabeth Goodspeed

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