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Artwork for Works But Makes Noises
Home-Cooked Software
Electric Bikes
Design Studios
Affinity By Canva
Freelance Design
Creative Process
Creative Uniforms
Zohran Mamdani
CES
Photoshop
Design
Apple
Graphic Design
Figma
Soft Services
World Cup Kits
Mamdani's Grocery Store
Siri AI
Archiv
Portfolio Design

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.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes21Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DesignArtsTechnology

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Artwork for Works But Makes Noises

Latest Episodes

Everyone creative person has been in the Valley, the miserable stretch in a project where nothing works. In this episode, we talk about some of the tricks we use to get to the other side: sleep, sneak attacks, talking it out, word-association games. ... more

Jacob’s back from Indonesia and Japan to find that David didn’t, in fact, burn the house down. We compare two very different product launches – Apple’s new HomeView and Tesla’s dream car (if you're a 12-year-old boy). Then we go full car talk: why el... more

This week, Jacob’s somewhere in rural Singapore (I think?), so David sits down with Nick Pattison, founder of Primary Studio, to trace his path from Pentagram and Milton Glaser’s studio to building a productized design practice around the two-week br... more

This week, we talk about the lost art of *not* selling out, whether or not to turn an idea into a business (plus David's released the beta of his app Archiv), and the forgotten 95% that goes into releasing a product. We get into the evolution of self... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Number of Listeners
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People also subscribe to these shows.

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MiddlebrowDan Rosen & Brian Park
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The Ezra Klein ShowNew York Times Opinion
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Hard ForkThe New York Times

Recent Guests

Nick Pattison
Founder and executive creative director of Primary Studio
Primary Studio
Episode: With Nick Pattison: Pentagram Boot Camp, Productizing Design, the Birth of Brand Sprints, and What AI Still Can’t Replace
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
Primary on-air designer host with a co-host on the show; frequently leads conversations on design culture, branding, and technology.
David
Co-host with a focus on design critique, product design processes, and industry trends.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 23 ratings
  • Digging this one

    🤙

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ill-d
    United States7 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 States7 months ago
  • very dope, keep going

    🤙

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    hbeebee22
    United States7 months ago
  • Great

    Second best design podcast in the world

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    T-Pain 2026
    United States9 months ago
  • 🙌

    A much needed design pod

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MaxK
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

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

The show blends wit with thoughtful critique, avoiding pretension while staying design-forward.
Listeners appreciate the candid, down-to-earth discussions and practical takeaways for design teams.
Guests and topics feel relevant to real-world design practice, education, and startup culture.
The conversations frequently balance craft with business realities, making it useful for both creators and sponsors.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#151
United States/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#187
United Kingdom/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#191
Canada/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#129
Germany/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#141
Australia/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#204
Italy/Arts/Design

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

With Nick Pattison: Pentagram Boot Camp, Productizing Design, the Birth of Brand Sprints, and What AI Still Can’t Replace
Q: What's the role of AI in your studio going forward?
AI will handle historical design knowledge and some decision support, but a human in the loop remains essential for interpreting client needs, negotiating options, and delivering nuanced, unique outcomes.
With Nick Pattison: Pentagram Boot Camp, Productizing Design, the Birth of Brand Sprints, and What AI Still Can’t Replace
Q: How did brand sprints become the core offering?
A near-miss contract and subsequent quick wins demonstrated that a fast, clearly priced, two-week sprint could reliably deliver strong branding, leading to a full pivot toward productized services and health/tech-focused branding opportunities.
With Nick Pattison: Pentagram Boot Camp, Productizing Design, the Birth of Brand Sprints, and What AI Still Can’t Replace
Q: Why move from Volume to Primary and formalize as a studio?
It wasn't a grand plan to become an agency; it grew from wanting to appear bigger to win bigger contracts and from realizing that a formal studio would better support scalable work and a team around him.
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.

Audience Metrics

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

Listeners per Episode
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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 across the coast riff on creativity, culture, and technology, with conversations that routinely circle back to design—whether through branding, product design, or the ethics of copying and authorship. Episodes blend practical design workflows, feedback loops, and software/tool critiques with broader debates about authenticity, education, and the business side of design-driven projects. Notable twists include discussions about elastic branding, AI-integration in design tools, and the balance between craft and commerce, often anchored by personal anecdotes and real-world studio experiences. Listeners can expect candid, humorous debates about how design intersects with daily life, technology, and culture, along with actionable ta... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Works But Makes Noises?

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1. The Permanent Questions With David Brooks
2. Middlebrow
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. Hard Fork
5. Machine Gods

How many episodes of Works But Makes Noises are there?

Works But Makes Noises launched a year ago and published 21 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. Nick Pattison
2. Estee Kim
3. Allan Yu
4. Elizabeth Goodspeed

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