Works But Makes Noises

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. But we also ask: are we optimizing creativity out of the design process? We weigh efficiency against good work, the value of the Valley, and whether it's a phase that you can skip or just have to work through. Plus handwritten type experiments, ballot design across counties, and why voting needs a big red button.David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

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 electric vehicles can’t break out of car-design convention, some good and bad Porsche sightings, and the new Volvo XC60 hybrid. We also dig into the insane custom software stack powering David’s [very beautiful] new website. Plus we reflect on the fact that there’s always that one guy in the comments section.David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

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 brand sprint. They get into earning your stripes, going from solo designer to studio owner, hiring your first employee, why design services should be easier to buy, and Nick’s ongoing obsession with making creative work more scalable. Plus, how a $220k project falling apart helped shape Primary’s model, what makes a great client experience, and what human designers might still have over AI.Primary Studio – https://www.primary.studio/NIck Pattison – https://x.com/thenickpattisonDavid McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

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-promotion and get nostalgic for when the design community had Twitter as a public space. David's off to pick up some original Karen Mobring-designed IKEA chairs and Jacob's going to the beach (surprise!). And does anyone know why there are parrots in LA?David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

Recording from an NYC visit (David) and peak California beach season (Jacob), this week we dig into the design portfolio and how to present yourself effectively – whether you’re at the beginning of your career or revamping your agency’s website. We talk about how work quality gets you in the door but it’s the positioning that gets you hired, why designers obsess over their projects instead of thinking like a business, how writing might be what actually sells you, the red flag that can scuttle a portfolio, and how to show up to a portfolio review like a class act.Join the WBMN group chat on Idle:https://wbmn.idlechat.app/chat/66a6053176d460916e27David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

After a little summer break we've got Jacob's trip report from a van adventure in Spain and work retreat in Amsterdam, and David reflects on the ins-and-outs of an eight-month career journey. We talk salary, doing work that sparks joy, the tension between freelance freedom and job security, and what makes a good fit versus just a good paycheck. Plus travel gear, Brighton Football Club, World Cup wrap-up, and David's renewed spark as he recalibrates his independent practice.David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

We're going full World Cup fan-mode this week. We make some personal picks for the tournament and talk best and worst of the national team kits. Also in the world of public and civic branding projects, we call out some personal do's and don'ts related to the week's most-commented design RFP: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's call for branding NYC's new public grocery stores. We talk about what the subway, public libraries, and Porto and Barcelona get right about civic design plus: Apple's audacious bet to rebrand Siri, a split decision on the new Ferrari, and a heartfelt goodbye to David Hockney.David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

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, vague posting without credit, and the blurry line between inspiration and theft. We tackle wether moodboards are lazy shortcuts, explore why learning through mimicking great work actually teaches you something real, trace David’s design awakening to his discovery of the Bauhaus, and ask: how much of design is just remixing culture anyway? We talk about having our own work ripped off, the commercial stakes of credit, and how to know when copying crosses from homage to wholesale theft.David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

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 Philadelphia, and her grandmother Rose's collage practice. Estee walks us through Soft Services’ design philosophy; how they capture sensory experiences visually, the brand’s “elastic branding” approach, the band metaphor for collaborative design teams, and why designing for feeling—not just function—matters in commercial work.David McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com

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 use, are.na websites and spatial, caveman codex, spring in upstate New Yorkhttps://www.44xdesign.com/spatialhttps://tiny.garden/sites by @gndclouds WILLIAM FELKERhttps://github.com/JuliusBrussee/cavemanDavid McGillivray is a designer and creative director in upstate New York, designing for early stage tech companies through his own practice. He also co-founded Offhours and runs Corners, an art and design store in the Catskills. Jacob Heftmann is a Los Angeles-based surfer and graphic designer. He is currently the Design Director at Grilli Type. Previously he was on the faculty at Parsons and founded XXIX and Index in New York City.Artwork by Pablo DelcanMusic by Mondo BoysArtwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Typewww.worksbutmakesnoises.com