Works But Makes Noises

David McGillivray & Jacob Heftmann
  • 5.0 (11)
  • DESIGN
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

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.

Episodes

  1. 6D AGO

    The Rise of Home-Cooked Software, Authenticity & Imperfection, and When to Start a Design Studio

    The 52" monitor, home-cooked software, claude code, vibe coding, personal tools, craft, authenticity and imperfection, authorship and taste, designing without scale, having an independent design practice, freelancing vs studios, building a career on your own terms. Tesla Optimus Fail https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/1pfzxt0/tesla_optimus/ Dell's Big Boy https://www.engadget.com/computing/dell-unveils-a-massive-52-inch-6k-ultrawide-curved-monitor-at-ces-2026-140024842.html People Building with Claude Code https://x.com/claudeai/status/2009666254815269313?s=20 Ryo Lu's OS  https://os.ryo.lu/ Gabriel Valdivia's Big Calendar https://x.com/gabrielvaldivia/status/2008259086614409438?s=20 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 Heftman is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. Currently the Design Director at Grilli Type, he has nearly two decades of experience across studios, in-house roles, and his own practice. Also: big surfer. Artwork by Pablo Delcan Music by Mondo Boys Artwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Type www.worksbutmakesnoises.com

    1h 5m

  2. 12/09/2025

    Robot Lamps, Apple’s New Design Era, Utah 2034, Iconic Olympic Brands

    Snowstorms in the Catskills, Jacob’s month on the North Shore, selling the Audi and becoming a full-time Subaru guy, mechanics doing power slides in your car, talking lamps and unhinged home robots, Terminator bots and the sci-fi week online, Apple entering a new design era, Google’s Nano-Banana and AI faking sketchbooks, Bloom and the rise of brand-asset generators, the new CNBC logo mess, Utah 2034 and the puzzle of future-proof Olympic branding, the icons of Olympic identity from Mexico 68 to Munich 72 and Montreal 76, and why mockups are still the secret weapon in design. 🖼️ Visual Show Notes https://worksbutmakesnoises.com/episodes/5 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 Heftman is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. Currently the Design Director at Grilli Type, he has nearly two decades of experience across studios, in-house roles, and his own practice. Also: big surfer. Artwork by Pablo Delcan Music by Mondo Boys Artwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Type www.worksbutmakesnoises.com

    1h 2m

  3. 11/10/2025

    Zohran’s campaign design, geriatric millennials, and ten foot skeletons

    Ten foot skeletons, Gen Z nonchalance vs. Millennial effortfulness,  Zohran's campaign design, Al Gore was the worst client. Links mentioned in the show Zohran Mamdani’s Campaign Logo Looked Nothing Like a Campaign Logo https://www.curbed.com/article/zohran-mamdani-campaign-logo-graphic-design.html Fully automated 'private chef' https://x.com/miyuselene/status/1982517846124192011?s=20 NEO home robot https://www.1x.tech/neo 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 Heftman is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. Currently the Design Director at Grilli Type, he has nearly two decades of experience across studios, in-house roles, and his own practice. Also: big surfer. Artwork by Pablo Delcan Music by Mondo Boys Artwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Type www.worksbutmakesnoises.com

    59 min

  4. 10/17/2025

    Personal uniforms, electric bikes, and 90's ad agencies.

    Surfing in Mexico, Gap is back, having a personal ‘uniform’, Electric Bikes, NYC Subway design, AI slop (oh no), edible rocks, 90’s ad agency offices, naming things. 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 Heftman is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. Currently the Design Director at Grilli Type, he has nearly two decades of experience across studios, in-house roles, and his own practice. Also: big surfer. Artwork by Pablo Delcan Music by Mondo Boys Artwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Type www.worksbutmakesnoises.com

    1h 9m

  5. 09/26/2025

    Two weddings, one Subaru, and an AI that designs your company

    New Grillitype launches, social battery collapse, Palermo wedding gossip, buying a 2008 Subaru on Facebook Marketplace, DMV purgatory, LL Bean collab trim, new iPhone and AirPods takes, AI brand builders, Jacob hates moodboards, designer existentialism 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 Heftman is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. Currently the Design Director at Grilli Type, he has nearly two decades of experience across studios, in-house roles, and his own practice. Also: big surfer. Artwork by Pablo Delcan Music by Mondo Boys Artwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Type www.worksbutmakesnoises.com

    56 min

  6. 09/06/2025

    Art, Aging, and AirPods That Randomly Beep

    Catskills nervous system reset, tiny New York party memories, birthday art pilgrimages, Mass MoCA, basic-taste art confessions, work-life blur, Apple event ambivalence, light-phone fantasies 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 Heftman is a Los Angeles-based graphic designer. Currently the Design Director at Grilli Type, he has nearly two decades of experience across studios, in-house roles, and his own practice. Also: big surfer. Artwork by Pablo Delcan Music by Mondo Boys Artwork typeface; GT Standard Mono by Grilli Type www.worksbutmakesnoises.com

    1h 7m
  • 6 Episodes

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    David McGillivray & Jacob Heftmann
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Works But Makes Noises
  • Show Website
    Works But Makes Noises