North V South: Recent Episodes
North V South
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A podcast from two English graphic designers.
One from up North. The other one from down South.
They talk about design, illustration, technology, books and pies. Most of the time. More often than not.
Sometimes they might have special guests. Sometimes, and more often than not, they won’t. But there will always be pies. Always pies.
No news this week as we're just wittering on about what we've been up to. Here's some links to things we spoke about.
- Visit Rob at Thoughtbubble
- The Mountains of Madness by Adam Fyda
- Disco Elysium on Steam
- Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
- Bosworth Toller Anglo-Saxon dictionary
- The Putney dive-bombing incident
- WOTW - An archive of video game maps and the Antarctic life of an IT guy Brr
- Studiomate Steve illustration podcast
- Tales from the Quarantine anthology Kickstarter shenanigans
- Open Press Project 3D printed press
- RIP Last Dambuster
- Leica 2 mobile phone
- Paranoia RPG Kickstarter from Mongoose
- Goncherov movie - Mandela Effect
- Rivers of London RPG
- Fontjoy(less)
- Lex Lofthouse December Daily UI Challenge
- WOTW - Phil Gyford's Oo.directory of blogs
I'm sure that there have been more Prime Ministers this year than North v South episodes and it's all Rob's fault. But here we are again; talking about the state of Twitter and what the alternatives are, as well as the usual design news and things on our desks.
In which we bid farewell to a truly great illustrator Kim Jung Gi.
We talk about how much daily graft do we put into our creative lives and are we satisfied by the output?
Other news includes LEGO and D&D, Lucian Freud at the National, Bonnier Books logo, GDPR nightmare, Andy Budd's world of wisdom, followed by the ying and yang of pies.
In which Rob drinks beer and gets rather angry about tech boys. Jon, meanwhile, is worried about his dog.
After a brief (for us) hiatus of 84 days we return to blether on about, in no particular order: Branston pickle, vertical cities, AI art generators, Jessica Hische, Rings of Power, Design Principals, Awesome Merchandise, Tattly, LEGO Atari, and Fungus the Bogeyman.
This week in episode 108 Rob's been to Birmingham to find enlightenment. Jon's been ripping up carpets trying to find inspiration and comes to the conclusion that he left it in London about 10 years ago.
This week in the podcast with its fingers in the pies, we talk iconic film soundtracks while paying our respects to the genius of Vangelis. Also hello Elizabeth line and hopefully goodbye to boring branding (don't hold your breath).
Rob's just got back from iceland. He didn't bring a prawn ring back mind you. Just lots of pictures. Also he ate horse. Like a dirty dragon. We talk about his trip of a lifetime. We also geek out about notebooks, the ZX Spectrum, Etherington Brothers, PJ Harvey & Space Dwarfs.
Our two brave soldiers have clawed their way out of their fetid sickbeds to bring you the very latest in random stuff they've found on the internet. And design news. They peer into Jodrell Bank's new identity, wonder at Twitter's continued interference, peruse some new fonts and mull over designer labels?
This week Rob's been preparing for his first ever exhibition while droning on about his new toy. Jon's been avoiding any work by trimming hedges in the snow. Catch up with the latest brouhaha over Rob's controversial Cornish pasty made by Swiss bakers.
Too old to code. Hands up who thinks this should be on a t-shirt? Hands down who's too old to wear t-shirts? No one left? Oh well; on with the show…
Is it ever a good idea to tunnel under avolcano? In a world where this sounds like a good idea to many of our leaders, we discuss following narrative and finding truth.
Rob's been watching pottery porn. Jon's been up a volcano taking photos of pin badges. Why, oh why do we need Client Day? Why do we need another version of The Ipcress File? Why do we need free microfibre cloths with everything? Why do we eat so many pies? Answers inside. Possibly.
Yes, it's that thing that nobody wanted in the first place. No, not NFTs. Not the Metaverse. Yes, It's us! NORTH V SOUTH IS BACK! And this time it's not only DISRUPTIVE and TRANSFORMATIVE. It literally MAKES NO SENSE!
If you can't polish a turd then can you polish a saveloy? Here at North V South we give it a bloody good attempt.
This week in the podcast that is, but isn't, recorded very often we discuss (among other things): Black Library novels; applying immediacy filters and other unwanted tips; a new boardgame magazine Senet ; War of the Worlds; The creator of Minifigs; Darth Maul and Fighting Fantasy, Ellie Sampson paper art, notable bookcover designs of 2019, and, to cap it off, pies. Although pies with lids are just stews with hats on.
Episode 98 is piping hot and cooling on the window sill. We take a peek under the crisp pastry lid of the zeitgeist and find cyber trucks, Chris Ware comics, lovely stationery shops, board games a go-go, cartoon nihilism, and the inner gubbins of pies.
With just under a month until Christmas and a Tory junta, join North V South in a societal meltdown as we dance naked through the streets, waving our willies at our clients as we go.
North v South – less regular than a bran-intolerate heroin addict. We ask the questions that the Conservative and Labour parties are too afraid to ask: How are your biorhythms this morning? Will there be baby woodpeckers in Rob's garden this winter? What is a brand guru and is it strictly legal? And, finally, what kind of casserole would Darth Vader eat?
Get ready to shed 96 tears. We're back. We talk Wim Crouwel, Somerset House, Nokia, rival podcasts, paper aeroplanes, Lego adverts, ketchup and the imminent end of civilisation.
You want eclectic. We deliver. Our Deeply Unintelligent™ AI units have digested the internet and spend an hour talking about a whole load of utter nonsense: Camping, depression, 3D resin printers, Blender, Bocage, Lemmie, Mindhunter, Creative constipation, Inktober, District 9, Alan Moore, Vanta black cars, Boots, John Harris, Dieter Rams, London Design Festival. And pies.
A ruined building stands alone, wreathed in vines, wrapped in mystery. Its cracked portico reveals a dark and brooding entrance, occasionally brightened by a pulsing red dot of light. Inside lurks Episode 94 of the podcast that is, and isn't, about design. Lost in time. Forgotten by civilisation. Waiting. Just for you… In this episode we look at a new Akira, online criticism, linocuts, LEGO Space, single line typefaces, meander maps and Apollo XI in realtime.
Hello. It's us again. We continue to creep towards a hundred much like Geoff Boycott in his pomp. This week we talk about, in no particular order: model robots, LEGO Space, Worzel Gummidge, notebooks, touch typing, Mac Pro, sweet wrappers, knots, the evils of social media, and, biensûr, pies.
Roll up, roll up. Listen to a dog drinking beer. From Belgium. The beer, that is. The dog's from England, mate. In other news: Panic's Playdate, BT's new look, Manga at the British something or other, Microsoft browsers, Shanghai bookshops, and, naturellement, pies.
This week's podcast focuses on things we make that have no real worth. Many would say that covers this podcast and they're probably right. We look at recent news items that follow this trend; such as re-edits of 42-year-old children's films, speculative architectural visualisations, and self-digitising notebooks. "Why, why, why, why, why?", asks one of our hosts. But without making things that seemingly have no worth, would we end up with beauties like x6udpngx (https://x6ud.github.io/#/)?
Welcome to the first episode in a new series of North V South: the podcast that is, and isn't, about design. We're talking taking breaks, blue plaques, iMacs, Kellog's, Capcom and Hellboy, among many other bits and bobs of design-related ephemera. Give us a whirl. You never know, you might like it. Also, please leave a review for us in iTunes. We'll love you for ever if you do.
In the final episode of season 3, Jon kicks proceedings off with a potentially career-ending rant. The subsequent conversation with Rob takes an unexpected turn courtesy of Jodorowsky's Dune, a Breville Sandwich Maker, wordless novels, giant spiders, martinis and, of course, pies. News is fleeting.
In this week's podcast that's got more Fanny than Craddock, Jon's been playing with his tentacles, while Rob's been gawping at old chaps. We take a gander at the new ultra-post-rationalised Netflix ident, a risable Walkers crisp packet redesign, a Linea Sketch review, and Phillip Sulke's superb tanker photography. Something's in the freezer and it might be alive. Don't worry, it's just Rob's pie.
In the podcast that no one talks about, we talk moles. Not the unpronounceable notebooks. Not the gloopy green stuff you double dip into (don't deny it). That's right, those little spelunking furry dudes. We also talk Comics / Tabletop Games / Slack Attacks / Elastic Brand Podcast / Dieter Rams / Pies and more…
It's Hallowe'en and the portal has opened between the now and the never never. But enough about Rob's bowel movements… This week in the podcast that is and isn't about human sacrifice, our Agents of Filth are rifling through Uncle Ted's VHS collection. Not that one. Rob and Jon talk about their favourite moments in horror films. News includes the End of the World, Slasher Art, A Sleep Tracker for Vampires and Boris Johnson's Underpants. Quelle Horreur! Pies are fresh from Sweeny Todd's… Wait, is that a fingernail. Yum. Wait a minute what's that? It can't be, it can't be. I-i-i-it's a VEGETABLE. Arrrrghhhhh…
This week's episode brings you forgettable fonts, silly phones, easter eggs, Inktober, and an adieu to Carlos Esquerra.
You know that dusty old shop that's always closed? You know the one, slumped between CoffeeKings and Harvey's Estate Agents on the high street. That's where episode 84 is being recorded right now. We sent you a text on your Punkt phone. Didn't you get it? Following on from Creative Review's recent flurry of articles on the matter, Rob and Jon ask if design can save retail? Can design save anything at all? They do their best to obfuscate the entire debate. News includes Apple (briefly, you'll be relieved to hear), a new map of Antarctica, Fontsmith's new catalogue, kitbashed spaceships, octogenarian fashion models, Incompuito buildings and a new New Adventures Conference. Pies are consumed like the greedy capitalist pigs we are.
This week our very special guest is Dan Berry: host of the wonderful podcast Make It Then Tell Everybody. Dan is also a comic artist, teacher, pen whittler, desk collector, and log cabin dweller.
We're back again, with a hiatus haiku. You are most welcome. The podcast that is, and isn't, but was, on holiday is back. Has the hot summer exposed any hidden secrets in your back garden? We catch up with news and remind ourselves which end of the microphone to hold. Rob looks at orange Lego spaceships, papermakers and Studio Ghibli. Jon takes a look at The Design Museum's events arm(s), a comic in the Booker Prize longlist, and a celebration of the BBC Micro. Switching to Mode 0… Pies are from Aldi and St Margarets. A clear dichotomy of pies, if ever there was one.
We're delighted to have another special guest on the show. This time it's Mark Phoenix, web developer and co-host of the excellent Relative Paths podcast (https://relativepaths.uk). He talks to us from underneath his secret blanket den in Cheltenham about his career in code. Chat meanders across diverse subjects such as grapefruit curses, Baby robins, Extremity comic (https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/extremity), Imaginary Worlds (https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org) podcast, Yoda's house (https://shop.lego.com/en-GB/Yoda-s-Hut-75208), Mike Sienkiewicz (https://youtu.be/4G1XAti0NX0) , Brian Eno, the resurgent Microsoft (https://daverupert.com/2015/08/dave-is-going-windows/), imposter syndrome, and, of course, pies. Special Guest: Mark Phoenix.
In the podcast that is and isn't about GDPR we discuss anything that doesn't involve mailing lists, sign up forms and panicky marketing teams. Jon is at a crossroads and Rob is generally cross with anything to do with crossing London. What time is love? No one knows, now we're all wearing Nuncs. Also with Roger Dean, Atari and Bill Gold, it's like the Seventies never went away. Now they've gone, it's pie-time! Two of them. Both encased. In case you have forgotten what a pie is.
This week we are joined by special guest and master of the Bézier curve, Ben the Illustrator. News includes an Oliver Postgate exhibition, in-game art in Codemasters' Onrush, Microsoft's adaptive controller for disabled gamers, Monde's bookend models, and the curious case of the European Museum of the year. We talk to Ben about his career in illustration, his creative process, his plans for the future, and why social media should be a two-way conversation. Pies are a Pieminister Kate and Sidney pie (Jon – 7), a Minced Beef pie from Turner's Pies in Chichester (Rob – 8.96), and a John Thorner's Steak and London Pride pie (Ben – 8). Special Guest: Ben the Illustrator.
Our hosts take a listen to a couple of new podcasts and the new sound effect library from the BBC. They ponder the task that faces Flickr's new owners and moot a possible visit to Thought Bubble in Leeds later this year. Rob and Jon discuss tools they use everyday to help them do their work more efficiently. Find out who will survive when the grid shuts down. Jon's pie gets more points than Rob's. The world is in turmoil.
Daniel Benneworth-Gray — book designer, writer, Twitterer and all round nice chap — joins us on the podcast that is, and isn't, about design. We talk about his career in design, as well as gravy carbonisation, and telephone chairs.
News includes a new freelance rate calculator, Birmingham Design Festival, Record Store Day, and Rob updates us with Martin Sorrell’s latest movements.
This week’s pies are from Marks and Spencer, Pieminister and Yorkshire Baker. One of the pies is called Kevin.
We're back for series three! Like a run down syphilitic bus.
What's happened in our absence? Not a whole lot. Creative Review has gone to the paywall, Charlie Higson got stuck in a twisty maze of passageways, all alike, Fonts got all, like, look at us, we're fonts, we're so academic. And Hellboy is coming to a tabletop near you.
This week we talk digital tipping jars: Patreon, Kofi and the like. Rob's considering throwing his flat cap onto the cobbles and asking for donations. Jon works his monocle into his mean little eye and turns his snooty nose skywards.
Pies are tested as usual, but no LOTR this week. Old Man Willow stole our books.
This week our podcasting curators visit the British Museum, taking in snarky mugs, cuneiform receipts, Roman curses, walrus chess pieces, Portuguese custard tarts, and a very noisy pub.
NB – This episode was recorded in an insanely busy British Museum by a decidedly amateur sound recordist. You have been warned!
Also, the podcast now has chapters so you can skip to the bits you want to hear, rather than listen to us waffle. Oh wait, we waffle all the way through every show. Scratch that.
This week North V South goes on a field trip to the Design Museum. Find out just what our roving reporters made of the museum’s new home in West London.
News sees us step closer to the world of Blade Runner with an image enhancer algorithm, and a step further away with an self driving bus crash. And as a general reminder that humans have been idiots since they left the trees, we look at Medieval Deathbot and Snapchat’s $30 million dollar silly glasses writedown.
Pies are stewed beef for Jon, and a bog standard pork pie for Rob.