The It's Nice That Podcast

The music video – it's hard to imagine a big hit without one. But how do you actually go about making a visual representation of a song?! And once you have, what makes it a success?In this episode, Will and Alex seek to answer these questions by exploring the history of the industry with music journalist Gina Arnold; speaking to the man who turned a disaster shoot into a creative masterpiece, Young Thug director Ryan Staake; and hearing from the legend behind the choreography of Beyonce's seminal ‘Single Ladies' video, Frank Gatson Jnr. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What constitutes Political Design? How aware are we of the creative process and decisions at play in making a political campaign? Considering politicians are in the business of persuasion, it's worth examining how personality and policies can be visually represented to strengthen their case. With the General Election imminent, Will and Alex are in good company; with Design critic, journalist and author Steven Heller, the graphic designer behind Hillary Clinton's ‘H' logo, Michael Bierut, and the creative behind the Green party's ‘Secret Life of 5 year old politicians' Dan Shute. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is colour? Tricky to define but plenty to discuss. In this hue heavy episode, Alex and Will set out to make the subjective objective. They'll be looking at psychology, production and trends to find out if colour has an effect on our behaviour, whether anyone can actually own a colour and how brands can use colour to their advantage. Colour me interested. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Money, money, money! Whether you have a lot or a little, it's everywhere and something we think about often. But how much of that thought is spent on the way it looks? Not much it may seem unless changes in it's design force us to take notice…To mark the release of the new British pound coin, Alex and Will discuss currency in all its forms – from the origins and uses, to the decision making behind tender revamps and how monetary aesthetics change over distance and time.Featuring Ben Alsopp, Professor Mary Morgan and Julian Payne. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Will and Alex chart gaming's rapid ascent from the early days of Atari to a multi billion dollar industry (via ‘Advanced Lawnmower Simulator'), and explore whether the future really lies behind virtual reality goggles. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Public Art is a topic that would, at first, seem pretty easy to discuss. For Alex and Will, however, it becomes somewhat convoluted the more questions they ask.One public art project that gets lots of people talking is the temporary art commissions that sit on Trafalgar Square's empty fourth plinth. With this year's shortlist of proposed artworks just announced, Alex and Will try to grapple with the subject by enlisting the help of Professor of Public Art & Computation, Andrew Shoben, Listings Advisor for Historic England, Posy Metz, and the artist behind one of this year's proposals for the Fourth Plinth, Michael Rakowtiz. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ah the emoji! When words fail, these little icons succeed. In this episode, Alex and Will investigate this digital phenomenon. From the past, present and future of emojis to their linguistic and cultural significance. How do you create one and who decides which make the grade? And what do they hold in store for the future of real talk? Featuring Professor Marcel Danesi, Jeremy Burge and Scott Fahlman. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What makes a great Christmas advert with http://www.itsnicethat.com/In this episode Will and Alex unwrap what makes a great Christmas advert; a psychological science or a creative dark art? Special guests Daniel Fisher, creator of Monty The Penguin, and consumer psychologist, Patrick Fagan, help them get to the bottom of what all the hype is about. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.