NOCOMPLY is a web and graphic design studio. We design websites, build them, and create complete identities: logo, colour, type and every piece that follows from them.

To turn, you need something that stays still. In a no comply 180 it's the front foot, which touches the ground while the board turns 180 degrees. In every company, that footing is what it already does well. From there we turn everything else until it makes sense at first glance.

You do good work, but your communication doesn't reflect it and it isn't reaching your audience. Write to us.

NOCOMPLY
Web and graphic design studio
Services
Websites, visual research, strategy and graphic design

Questions

Hello. We're and , and we sign our work as NOCOMPLY, one studio in two cities. Nacho, in Cádiz, designs brands and everything that comes out of them; Mario, in Madrid, designs websites and builds them. We're both on every project, from the first meeting to the day it goes live.

We like design with character, but it has to be understood first. If a brand needs explaining, it isn't finished yet.

Here we answer the same questions separately, like the two sides of a record: Nacho is side A, the graphic side, and Mario is side B, the web side.

Side A · Nacho · Brand and graphicsSide B · Mario · Web design and development

The name

Why NOCOMPLY?

A1 · Nacho

It's one of the basic skateboarding tricks and one of my favourites, with endless variations. In a no comply 180 the board turns 180 degrees and you see everything from the other side.

Mario and I share a love of skateboarding, so the name was clear to us from the start.

B1 · Mario

When we were thinking about the studio's name, we naturally went for skateboarding, because it's what brings us together most. NOCOMPLY sounds good, it's a cool trick and it fits the studio's philosophy because of the movement and the change of perspective.

The craft

What was your first commission, and what would you do differently today?

A2 · Nacho

My first commission, about 18 years ago, was the full identity and website design for an NGO. It was hard work.

Today I'd think more and execute less. Over the years I've learned to spend longer understanding the problem before I sit down at the computer, and to make fewer, better-resolved pieces.

B2 · Mario

It was for a digital tech magazine. Nothing was clear and every stage of the project was chaos.

Today I'd do it all differently. In any project, the essential thing is to start with a solid foundation.

Which project changed the way you work?

A3 · Nacho

Designing and developing an app for a hospital. We didn't set any limits and it dragged on forever.

Since then, every project starts with clear limits: what's in, what stays out and when it ends.

B3 · Mario

Working for a bank made me realise I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. From then on I started changing my focus and concentrating on building this.

What does the other one do better than you?

A4 · Nacho

Mario is the perfect complement. I turn the idea over and he builds it. He works cleanly and keeps timelines tight.

B4 · Mario

Design, no doubt. I admire Nacho's vision and the way he gives shape to ideas.

A rule you never break.

A5 · Nacho

Less is more, always. In design and in life.

B5 · Mario

Time is money, mine and my clients'.

That doesn't mean doing things fast, but doing them right from the start so you don't have to do them twice.

Outside the studio

Where can we find you on a Saturday morning?

A6 · Nacho

Probably skating for a while with my son (yes, I'm lucky enough to skate with him), or out on a café terrace with my partner, stretching breakfast out until it's nearly lunchtime.

B6 · Mario

The three most likely options: skating, tinkering in the garage with my cars or my friends' cars, or in front of the computer.

What has skateboarding (or music) taught you that you use at work?

A7 · Nacho

Skateboarding has given me a huge tolerance for frustration. A trick doesn't land until you've fallen a lot, and that teaches you to enjoy every attempt, not just the day you finally land it. It's the same with a project.

B7 · Mario

I think every skater agrees on this one: the ability not to give up and to keep trying things until they work. Some days you give up and 'leave' that trick, but you always end up going back to it, and when it lands, the satisfaction is huge. That's how we should see work, and life itself.

What are you listening to these days?

A8 · Nacho

I'm more into playlists with lots of artists, depending on the moment and how I'm feeling. I edit them and enjoy them; I guess it comes from my obsession with Spotify. While I was writing these answers, Ghost Tropic by Songs: Ohia was playing.

B8 · Mario

Pff, it really depends on the moment. At the computer I listen to a lot of R&B and jazz; when I'm driving I lean more towards rap or pop.

What's next

What has AI changed in your work, and what should it never touch?

A9 · Nacho

In graphic design, AI helps me sketch, so I no longer go to stock image libraries for that. It's a pretty poor use of it, I know, but for everything else I still don't see the point. And certainly not for coming up with the idea.

It's a tool that's there, and if you don't use it, all the better. Same as I've always felt about Photoshop's Filter Gallery.

B9 · Mario

It's made it easier to research, compare and learn new technologies. Computing changes all the time, so it's handy to have so many resources a few clicks away.

What it should never touch is creating brand identities, and design in general.

How do you see the future of communication in five years' time?

A10 · Nacho

It looks uncertain to me. I'd like to bet on communication that takes its time, is well argued and carefully designed. But sometimes I think we're heading the other way, towards content that lasts less and less, made to be consumed quickly, with little room for reflection.

B10 · Mario

There's no denying that communication has been heading down a path for years that I, at least, don't like: more and more content, faster and worth less.

How will it go on? Logic tells me it'll go from bad to worse, but I think at some point it'll blow up and people will get tired of it. I hope so.

Quick ones

A record
A · Nacho: Pink Moon, by Nick Drake.
B · Mario: BALLADS 1, by Joji.
A trick
A · Nacho: Backside bigspin (still working on it).
B · Mario: Fakie backside bigspin.
A typeface
A · Nacho: Do you love Mum or Dad more? Same thing. Impossible to answer.
B · Mario: It depends on the project, but I prefer grotesks.
A website you wish you'd made
A · Nacho: Any site that, ten years later, still looks good, is still accessible and still does its job. The same goes for a logo. In design you have to aim for eternity, or get close.
B · Mario: Something to do with skateboarding.
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