15 Jun 2023
114. Design is a bumhole
Hello. Welcome to our first episode of 2023! We're the Didi and Gogo of podcasting. So while we wait for Godot come and rummage with us through the dustbin of design and pop culture detritus.
Podcast · Arts & Books
by North v South · English · Arts & Books
An occasional podcast that is, and isn't, about design — presented by Rob Turpin and Jon Elliman.
15 Jun 2023
Hello. Welcome to our first episode of 2023! We're the Didi and Gogo of podcasting. So while we wait for Godot come and rummage with us through the dustbin of design and pop culture detritus.
E113 · 8 Dec 2022
Rob has written to his MP and Ministers about AI art and the rights of illustrators. Jon remains wracked with self doubt and incertitude. Yes, it's another cheery episode of the podcast that is and isn't about design!
E112 · 11 Nov 2022
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.
E111 · 5 Oct 2022
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.
E110 · 22 Sep 2022
In which Rob drinks beer and gets rather angry about tech boys. Jon, meanwhile, is worried about his dog.
E109 · 9 Sep 2022
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.
E108 · 16 Jun 2022
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.
E107 · 26 May 2022
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).
E106 · 19 May 2022
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.
E105 · 14 Apr 2022
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?
E104 · 31 Mar 2022
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.
E103 · 10 Mar 2022
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…
E102 · 8 Mar 2022
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.
E101 · 11 Feb 2022
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!
E99 · 17 Mar 2020
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.
E98 · 28 Nov 2019
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.
E97 · 15 Nov 2019
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?
E96 · 10 Oct 2019
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.
E95 · 12 Sep 2019
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.
E94 · 5 Aug 2019
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.
E93 · 5 Jul 2019
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.
E92 · 29 May 2019
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.
E91 · 10 May 2019
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/#/)?
E90 · 26 Apr 2019
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.
E89 · 15 Feb 2019
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.
E88 · 8 Feb 2019
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.
E87 · 25 Jan 2019
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…
E86 · 31 Oct 2018
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…
E85 · 22 Oct 2018
This week's episode brings you forgettable fonts, silly phones, easter eggs, Inktober, and an adieu to Carlos Esquerra.
E84 · 28 Sep 2018
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,…
An occasional podcast that is, and isn't, about design — presented by Rob Turpin and Jon Elliman.
North v South is a English arts & books podcast from North v South. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.