Explore every episode of the podcast WiseNoise: The Creative Practice Podcast

WiseNoise, Steven Wakabayashi: Design as Data, Selling with Your Ears, and Why Health Comes First

This week I'm joined by Steven Wakabayashi: founder of Stranger Creative, the New York digital product agency, and of QTBIPOC Design, the nonprofit opening pathways into the industry for queer, trans, Black, Indigenous and people of colour.

We start with his unlikely route in: physiology, neuroscience and dance, and the auditions where he was told they "weren't looking for an Asian dancer."

Then he shares his screen and walks me through design systems for enterprise sites with tens of thousands of pages, and turning design into data: machine-first documentation that lets AI apply a brand's thinking properly.

Plus the health crisis that reset everything, months of silence in monasteries, and a Heavy Dessert on selling your design:"sales is 90% listening and 10% confirmation."

Bingo Wheel topics: sketchbook or iPad, Giorgia Lupi, Taylor Swift's colour, and a very good coffee machine.

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For this episode, I'm joined by Brand Strategist & Creative Director Kirsten Murray and Edible founder Alex De Sousa: mentor and mentee at Edinburgh College, who years later worked together to build a brand for people living with food allergies.

Alex has around 28 food allergies. We talk about the game of whispers that is asking for allergen info at the table, the lamppost sticker research that pulled 500 responses from a couple of hundred stickers, and how Edible turns any allergen sheet into a personalised menu.

Kirsten takes us through the strategy: the mission to make the world more edible, food bandits, mascot NOM, "big spoon energy", and why the logo came last.

Plus ADHD, Secret Seven Inch, and a Heavy Dessert on self-promotion without the ick.

Watch this full episode on YouTube.

See more of Kirsten's work: www.kirstenmurray.com

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This week I'm joined by Tegan McDougall and Charlotte - the inaugural winners of the Wiselove Studio Emerging Talent award at Gray's School of Art degree show.

We talk about the chaos of getting a degree show ready (painting floors, no sleep, that panic of 'have I done enough?'), what four years at Gray's taught them, and the daunting step into industry.
Tegan discusses her 'Reimagining Football' project as she channelled the work of past programme designers like John Elvin.

Charlotte walks us through her brilliant project 'Fille' - a feminist magazine and brand born from her dissertation on the male gaze, inspired by the lad mags she studied, built on actual street graffiti she found around Aberdeen, and designed to make feminism feel approachable rather than daunting.

Plus: the AI elephant in the room, typography (the hardest thing nobody talks about), and a Bingo Wheel that lands on tuna mayo and Dirty Dancing.

Topics covered:
• The degree show grind

• Tegan on 'Reimagining Football'
• Charlotte's feminist magazine 'Fille'
• Street-art branding & film-prop inspiration
• AI as a tool, not a threat

Tegan: www.instagram.com/teganthecreator
Charlotte: www.instagram.com/cag_design

Watch the epsiode on the YT Channel.
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This week I sat down with Matt Burns, co-founder of the world-renowned beverage design agency Thirst.

We went right back to the beginning — meeting over a pint at the Velvet Elvis in Partick, Glasgow after Matt answered a Gumtree ad straight off the boat from Australia, to making the single most effective spreadsheet in design history (cold-emailing 44 Scottish breweries and getting one life-changing "yes").

Matt opened up about partnering with marketing specialist Chris to form Thirst, what it really takes to grow a design team from solo on-the-tools to 17 people, and the massive undertaking of redesigning iconic Scotch brand Bruichladdich (including cutting CO2 by 65% and introducing a world-first paper pulp wrap).

Plus: Metallica karaoke, dealing with creative block by talking to walls (or HMRC letters), and a Heavy Dessert deep-dive into finding the sweet spot between specialism and generalism, why great work doesn't get bought if you don't believe in it, and why design schools never teach you how to sell.

Topics covered:
• Moving from Sydney to Scotland and starting over
• The cold-email spreadsheet that built Thirst
• Creative + Business partnership dynamics
• The Bruichladdich redesign & sustainable packaging
• Bingo Wheel of Wisdom curveballs 🎡
• Heavy Dessert: Specialism vs. generalism & the art of selling creative work
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This episode was brought to you by WiseLove Studio.

In this episode, I spoke with Jonny Mowat — a Graphic designer turned film director who's written and directed the short films 'The Organist' and 'Behold, this dreamer cometh', and the brilliantly sarcastic Dooklt Brewery ‘football survival’ ad.

Here's the full advert to watch as we discuss it: https://vimeo.com/1193140335

We talk about the leap from Freytag Anderson to film sets, why being a generalist beats being a specialist (most of the time), the courage it takes to do stand-up comedy and why that same fear applies to pitching creative work, and what it's like directing a beer ad designed to help non-football fans fake it through match day.

Plus: the Bingo Wheel of Wisdom serves up a few curveballs, and Heavy Dessert lands on the eternal debate — specialist vs. generalist.

Topics covered:
• Transitioning from graphic design to film directing
• The Midgees prop gag philosophy
• Why sarcastic design is underrated
• The Dookit Brewery ad and solving absurd human problems
• Heavy Dessert: generalism as a superpower
• Dream clients: Adult Swim & The Lonely Island

Check out Jonny's work: www.jonnymowat.co.uk

Support the podcast by purchasing Merch from wiselove.shop

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From the art clubs of Stornoway to curating the history of Shinty in Inverness, Freya Macleod’s journey is a masterclass in "designing for place." In this episode, Pearse catches up with his former LOOM colleague to talk about her fabulous Museum of Here project, the surreal experience of building models in her dad's garage during lockdown, and why she’s embracing the "Generalist" tag in a world that wants everyone to specialise.

We dive deep into:

• The Power of Local: Why An Lanntair was vital for a creative kid growing up in Lewis.
• Museums 2.0: How a 150-meter rope factory in Dundee became a blueprint for community storytelling.
• The Shinty Story: Navigating the complex beast of exhibition design for Scotland’s community sport.
• Digital Burnout: Why screen printing and Lino cutting are the ultimate therapy for screen-weary designers.
• The Bingo Wheel: We talk Reef Beach, the genius of Annie Atkins, and why the film I Swear is a must-watch.

Whether you're an islander, a designer, or just someone who loves a good story, this one is for you.
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What happens when your successful design agency collapses in "20 minutes"? For Chris Sanders, it was the start of something much bigger.

I'm delighted to talk to the founder of Right Aligned about the messy reality of a career in design. Chris shares his journey from a 1999 print room to building a global educational platform that prioritises "the process" over the polished final result.

We discuss:

• The Agency Rollercoaster: How Chris survived three agency start-ups and what he learned from the failures.
• Accessibility in Design: Why he’s fighting to keep design education affordable for the 99%.
• The Pylon Culture: Moving past the toxicity of online design critiques to find the real rationale behind the work.
• Burnout & The Provider Trap: A raw look at mental health, the pressure to "be the breadwinner," and how to switch off (without a device).

Whether you’re a junior designer just starting out or a creative director feeling the weight of the industry, Chris’s story is a reminder that you don’t have to "set yourself on fire to keep others warm."

Find more at:
www.rightalignedacademy.com
www.wiselove.studio

In this episode, Pearse sits down with Fraser Robertson—the illustrator and designer behind the moniker Lost Astronaut. They dive into the "deep lore" of Fraser’s career, from his foundation days in Dundee to the serendipity of pitching a brewery that happened to have a beer called Lost in Sauce.

We get into the gritty details of:

• The Market Stall Hustle: The vulnerability (and exhaustion) of selling your soul—and your art—in person.
• Serendipity in Design: How Fraser’s "Lost Astronaut" brand led to a fated collaboration with Closet Brewing.
• The AI Elephant: Why Fraser thinks generative AI is "peak capitalism" and why the "imperfect" human touch is more valuable than ever.
• Tactile Love: Comparing the future of design to the survival of vinyl records—why humans crave the tangible.

The Bingo Wheel of Wisdom reveals:

• Fraser’s secret (and misspelled) "K-W-R-A-O-K-E" list.
• The legendary recipe for his "showstopper" vegan Mac & Cheese (it involves butternut squash, not feet-tasting fake cheese).
• Why Treasure Planet is the greatest animated movie ever made.

Check out Fraser's work: www.lostastronaut.design
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In this episode, Peter from Brandsmith™ takes us on a whirlwind tour of how he turned his versatile skills into a thriving freelance empire, all while making everything look effortless—even if he’s toyed with metal band logos and 3D models. You'll discover how to leverage your full spectrum of skills, from slick websites to motion graphics, without sacrificing your sanity—or your soul. We break down the genius behind his membership scheme that ensures steady cash flow and unlimited revisions, plus how to sell your services by speaking directly to what clients really want: results, ROI, and trust.

Peter shares his journey from rebellious rock band logos to cutting-edge web design with Framer and Spline, plus the behind-the-scenes magic that makes his website stand out in a crowded digital world. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about pretty images—it's about purpose, personality, and inoculating your business against seasonal crushes. With insights on niching vs. generalism, building authentic personal brands, and how to handle creative blocks, this episode is your blueprint for laughing in the face of client chaos.If you’re tired of the ‘kill your soul for a paycheck’ grind and ready to craft a design career that feels true to you, you’ll want to listen. Perfect for freelancers, design students, or anyone who wants to ditch the cookie-cutter and start making meaningful, profitable work today.

Check Peter's BRANDSMITH site.
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Podcast brought to you by WiseLove Studio.

My guest this week is James Barnard - Logo and visual identity designer with a mahooosive social media following. I'm a big fan of James' output and recently became a founding member of his Designerrrs.com community. We discuss the community and how it's grown. We also chat about some of my favourite logo designs he's made. James doesn't get the 'quickfire' element of the Bingo Wheel of Wisdom, but is very much like a greased eel when it comes to his Heavy Dessert Menu topic.

You can watcht episoe and some clips up on the YouTube Channel.

This show is brought to you by WiseLove Studio.

Hello, and welcome to episode 2 of WiseNoise, where I sit down with creative minds to chat about the challenges behind their work. This time around, I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with Chris Wilson, the one-person powerhouse behind STCKMN.

Chris is one of the good guys on the scene with an incredible portfolio, which we discuss. He is proudly a generalist, dubbing himself a 'polyamorous designer'.

Check out the portfolio work we discussed on his STCKMN site. 

This podcast is brought to you by WiseLove Studio.

Theme music by Mother Night.

In the very first episode of WiseNoise, I’m joined by Ewan Leckie, the brilliant mind behind MyCreative. Ewan has built an solid reputation for creating bold, meaningful brand identities and packaging designs across a range of industries. We chat about into his creative process, how he approaches a new brief, the ricky issue of pricing and whether he would snog Photoshop.

Intro music by Mother Night aka Callum Macleod.
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