The Nosebonk
Skateboarding
Art Project
The Nosebonk skateboarding art project is a personal skate art project by Erik Ziegler, created to explore the visual culture of skateboarding through prints, graphics and Skate related side projects.
Nosebonk began during the pandemic — one of the few good things that came out of that time. With no commuting and more hours at home, I finally had the headspace to draw, design and reconnect with my roots. I’d stopped skating for over 15 years, and in parallel, my role as a Group Design Director for Fjord had also pulled me away from hands-on creative work. Starting Nosebonk was my way to come back — to skateboarding, to design, and to myself. A way to pay back a personal debt and stay close to the culture that shaped me.
Today, Nosebonk is a skateboarding graphics project — a personal platform where skate art, print design and visual storytelling converge. It’s built from obsession, gratitude, and a need to keep that culture alive. Everything you see here — from stickers to tees, prints and collaborations — was made after work, for fun, and out of love for skateboarding.
Nosebonk Graphics was named after my favorite trick growing up: the Nose Bonk. If I was known for one trick in my neighborhood in early ’90s Bilbao, it was probably nosebonks and ollie one foots. I would Nose Bonk anything — from high to low, into gaps, over trash cans or whatever I could find on the street.
That moment — ollie, bonk, land — was the best feeling in the world.
The name is a tribute to that feeling, and to one of the most beautiful tricks in skate history. It’s direct, raw, a bit underground just like skateboarding should be. It’s short, punchy, and sounds exactly like what it is: a fast, dry hit with the front of the board. To me, it’s the perfect metaphor, fast, raw, and full of timing and intent.
It’s also a name only real skaters recognize. That was important. I wanted something coded — something that speaks directly to the older skate community without needing to explain itself. Just like a spot only we see as a spot, Nosebonk is a quiet nod to the ones who know.
People should think:
“This is about skateboarding — not sure from when, but definitely skateboarding.”
I’m currently working on an article about the Nose Bonk skateboarding trick — to help document its origin, do justice to its legacy, and make sure it doesn’t disappear from skate history. Many younger skaters today have never heard of it, and that needs to change.
“There’s something I love about skateboarding — the hidden, coded language it’s built on. Only skaters recognize certain spots, or smile at the trace of wax on a ledge. I wanted the Nosebonk logo to carry that same quiet recognition.our Attractive Heading”
Physicality: The shape had to feel “bonkable”
When I designed the Nosebonk logo, I wanted it to feel bold, a bit old-school, and unmistakably skateboard-related — but only for those who truly know.
Back in the 90s, I was drawn to logos like H-Street or Independent — strong, black symbols with sharp edges and presence. But I also loved the softer recognizability of something like the Powell logo, so I added softened corners to balance the sharpness.
I also wanted it to feel old. Like a sticker you’d find in a dusty box of skate stuff from 1992. That’s who I’m speaking to — skaters who grew up with this culture and recognize the visual language without needing an explanation. It’s a name, a symbol, and a trick — all in one.