No Cities, No Skateboards, No Comply

Skateboarding relies inherently on urbanity, not just any urbanity, not cobble-stoned European urbanity, but the sprawling West Coast cities born of 20th century industrialization.

So, in a way—and perhaps we’re stretching it—the mid-century product of DWR and the original rebellious act of skateboarding (as a reaction or even an appropriation of modernism for a new use) were born of the same “dream of the modernists” (Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, the Eames family). Thus the corollary:

“No cities, No Skateboards, No Comply.”

We’ve been thinking and researching extensively about urban planning, mixed use development, edge conditions, etc, for a client in Dallas. Perhaps that brand and identity campaign there has bled over into this fun distraction here.


The red board is an homage to Helvetica and Michael C. Place.
The other two are further sketches to try to tie together modernism and skate culture, with mixed results.



Then a whole battery of ‘aslo-rans’ that we didn’t hang because they were incomplete or unresolved conceptually.




But hey, they’re just skateboards. Grind on ‘em and forget all the theory.
See the 6 submitted pieces life size and in person at Design Within Reach, Austin. Boards by FÖDA Studio.