Studio Brinkmann
Studio Brinkmann

Sophia Brinkmann is a graphic designer, currently based between Antwerp (BE) and Berlin (DE). Her graphic design practice navigates between print and digital design, focusing on editorial design, publishing, books, ephemera, typography, identities, and websites.

 

 

 

 

Studio Brinkmann


Global Fascisms: Reader (2025)
A critical examination of the aesthetic, social, and political dynamics of fascism, questioning its appeal and ideological mechanisms.

Around the world, there is a glaring turn towards a sinister  form of politics. One is reluctant to name it for what all its recognizable signs point to, for fear of accepting the reality that fascism is here and it is everywhere. Amid a raging discussion about where authoritarianism ends and fascism begins, the Global Fascisms—Reader critically examines the aesthetic, social, and political dynamics of fascism, questioning its appeal and ideological mechanisms, and looking at how current authoritarian conjunctures are being condoned, contested, and resisted across the globe. The longform essays, poetry, and conversations with experts collected here accompany the eponymous exhibition at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), engaging with a quintessentially modern and eerily contemporary political mo(ve)ment.

Contributions by Stefan Baghiu, Thomas Biebricher, Cosmin Costinaș, Kwame Dawes, Jakob Grüner, June Jordan, Jeremy Knowles, Canberk Köktürk, Henrieke Kohpeiß, Daniel Loick, Clara E. Mattei, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, M. NourbeSe Philip, Vanessa Rocco, Arundhati Roy, Aaron Skabelund, Quinn Slobodian, Eric Otieno Sumba, Terese Svoboda, Julia Adeney Thomas, Vanessa E. Thompson, Alberto Toscano, Maxi Wallenhorst.


The Blazing Post (2025)
In collaboration with Malva Askerup
self-published

The Blazing Post, a collectively made newsletter that documents the voice in, and the voicing of, feminist conversations. Rooted in shared editorial practice, a transcript of a conversation runs alongside material from the archive of La Maison des Femmes—Brussels’ first women’s house. It explores listening, transcribing, and designing as feminist methods—where speaking together becomes a way of thinking together. In conversation with oral historian Suzanne Snider’s ­notion of ‘tending to someone’s words’ the transcript becomes a tool to trace and hold fragmented histories. A glossary of glyphs captures tonalities, silences, and gestures within speech, expanding the act of publishing into an embodied and collective practice. The Blazing Post pays homage to past feminist movements and contemporary publishing strategies.

The Blazing Post (2025)
In collaboration with Malva Askerup
self-published

The Blazing Post, a collectively made newsletter that documents the voice in, and the voicing of, feminist conversations. Rooted in shared editorial practice, a transcript of a conversation runs alongside material from the archive of La Maison des Femmes—Brussels’ first women’s house. It explores listening, transcribing, and designing as feminist methods—where speaking together becomes a way of thinking together. In conversation with oral historian Suzanne Snider’s ­notion of ‘tending to someone’s words’ the transcript becomes a tool to trace and hold fragmented histories. A glossary of glyphs captures tonalities, silences, and gestures within speech, expanding the act of publishing into an embodied and collective practice. The Blazing Post pays homage to past feminist movements and contemporary publishing strategies.

The Blazing Post (2025)
In collaboration with Malva Askerup
self-published

The Blazing Post, a collectively made newsletter that documents the voice in, and the voicing of, feminist conversations. Rooted in shared editorial practice, a transcript of a conversation runs alongside material from the archive of La Maison des Femmes—Brussels’ first women’s house. It explores listening, transcribing, and designing as feminist methods—where speaking together becomes a way of thinking together. In conversation with oral historian Suzanne Snider’s ­notion of ‘tending to someone’s words’ the transcript becomes a tool to trace and hold fragmented histories. A glossary of glyphs captures tonalities, silences, and gestures within speech, expanding the act of publishing into an embodied and collective practice. The Blazing Post pays homage to past feminist movements and contemporary publishing strategies.
Cover des Editorial Designs für ein (queer-)feministisches Projekttutorium in Berlin, das Freund*innenschaft als subversive Praxis im urbanen Raum erforscht; zeigt typografische Elemente und Gestaltung, die Verbindung und gemeinschaftliches Handeln visualisieren.
Editorial Spread des Projekts
Editorial Spread des Projekts


Stadt der Freundinnen (2025)
selfpublished by the research group gender studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 64 pages

What if cities were designed not for couples and nuclear families, but for friendships? This research seminar at Humboldt University posed exactly that question—recasting friendship as a subversive political practice and a counter-model to urban planning built around heteronormative domesticity.
Drawing on (queer-)feminist urbanism, utopian studies, and qualitative research methods, an interdisciplinary group of students investigated how friendship shapes and could reshape life in the city. The seminar culminated in a collective exhibition. My role was to give these political and theoretical contents a visual form: a design system that held intellectual rigour and the texture of solidary practice in equal measure.
The resulting editorial framework was conceived as a public address—politically situated, legible without being domesticated.


Stadt der Freundinnen (2025)
selfpublished by the research group gender studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 64 pages

What if cities were designed not for couples and nuclear families, but for friendships? This research seminar at Humboldt University posed exactly that question—recasting friendship as a subversive political practice and a counter-model to urban planning built around heteronormative domesticity.
Drawing on (queer-)feminist urbanism, utopian studies, and qualitative research methods, an interdisciplinary group of students investigated how friendship shapes and could reshape life in the city. The seminar culminated in a collective exhibition. My role was to give these political and theoretical contents a visual form: a design system that held intellectual rigour and the texture of solidary practice in equal measure.
The resulting editorial framework was conceived as a public address—politically situated, legible without being domesticated.


Stadt der Freundinnen (2025)
selfpublished by the research group gender studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 64 pages

What if cities were designed not for couples and nuclear families, but for friendships? This research seminar at Humboldt University posed exactly that question—recasting friendship as a subversive political practice and a counter-model to urban planning built around heteronormative domesticity.
Drawing on (queer-)feminist urbanism, utopian studies, and qualitative research methods, an interdisciplinary group of students investigated how friendship shapes and could reshape life in the city. The seminar culminated in a collective exhibition. My role was to give these political and theoretical contents a visual form: a design system that held intellectual rigour and the texture of solidary practice in equal measure.
The resulting editorial framework was conceived as a public address—politically situated, legible without being domesticated.


Stadt der Freundinnen (2025)
selfpublished by the research group gender studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 64 pages

What if cities were designed not for couples and nuclear families, but for friendships? This research seminar at Humboldt University posed exactly that question—recasting friendship as a subversive political practice and a counter-model to urban planning built around heteronormative domesticity.
Drawing on (queer-)feminist urbanism, utopian studies, and qualitative research methods, an interdisciplinary group of students investigated how friendship shapes and could reshape life in the city. The seminar culminated in a collective exhibition. My role was to give these political and theoretical contents a visual form: a design system that held intellectual rigour and the texture of solidary practice in equal measure.
The resulting editorial framework was conceived as a public address—politically situated, legible without being domesticated.


(Un)Seen Stories (2024)
published by arthistoricum.net, 131 pages

This catalogue accompanies the exhibition "(Un)Seen Stories: Suchen, Sehen, Sichtbarmachen" at the Kupferstichkabinett Berlin. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin house countless objects with hidden stories and intriguing provenances. The exhibition focuses on the research methods used to uncover these stories, with young curators and scientists presenting objects of personal significance, revealing their often surprising or tragic histories.


(Un)Seen Stories (2024)
published by arthistoricum.net, 131 pages

This catalogue accompanies the exhibition "(Un)Seen Stories: Suchen, Sehen, Sichtbarmachen" at the Kupferstichkabinett Berlin. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin house countless objects with hidden stories and intriguing provenances. The exhibition focuses on the research methods used to uncover these stories, with young curators and scientists presenting objects of personal significance, revealing their often surprising or tragic histories.

Studio Brinkmann


Sharon Van Overmeiren: Jacuzzi of Despair (2025)
In collaboration with Nana Esi
Published by Zolopress

There are countless ways to interpret death, and the Jacuzzi of Despair does not aim to add to them. Instead, it fizzes, swirls, weeps, and sweeps—an unsettled current of images and arrangements, placing Sharon Van Overmeiren’s sculptures within a strange narrative of mortality and rebirth.
The publication refracts Sharon’s work through a series of familiar yet elusive aesthetic mechanisms: from the speculative and ritualistic to the archival and surreal, from the encyclopaedic urge to categorise, to the spectacle of commercial catchphrases. As such, the Jacuzzi of Despair navigates and distorts the symbolic structures by which we typically frame life and death, suggesting a new order wherein their ineffable dimensions do not stand apart but fold seamlessly into one another. What emerges is a disorienting artifact, a publication both buoyant and weighty, performing a slippery, playful, and evocative attempt to grasp the mechanisms by which we make sense of life—only to dissolve them into incoherence, creating the conditions for new meanings to take root.

Studio Brinkmann


Manifest ( ) Gathered Angry Women Loving (2025)
together with Chiara Di Luca, Emma Burel, Lille Schmid
Published by Risikopress, Antwerp. Riso print in orange and black on Munken Polar Rough 170 g and 90 g, hand-stitched, edition of 150.

Co-editor and publication producer. Co-conceptualized, designed, and published the collaborative Manifest ( ) Gathered Angry Women Loving, which emerged from a workshop with Phil Baber (thelastbooks.org).

Inspired by independent underground writers of the 1950s–60s, it brings together a series of manifestos in an experimental typographic composition.


Website for Thy Le–Journalistin
Hier steht eine Beschreibung

Und hier auch


Sync Your Cycle (2023)
Gouache on paper/textile, Silkscreen Printing

This project explores the menstrual cycle and the role of nutrition in supporting its different phases. By linking the cycle to everyday food choices, the aim is to normalize and integrate it into daily life. Printed on jute shopping bags, the graphics are designed to bring the conversation into the public sphere, helping to destigmatize menstruation and encourage a natural approach to the topic. The design educates about the various phases of the cycle and highlights the body’s needs, promoting simple adjustments that can positively impact overall health.


Kulturarbeit transformieren (2024)
published by Berlin University Alliance
Riso-printed, 36 pages

This publication is a collaborative effort with participants from the seminar ‘Kulturarbeit transformieren–Kollektivität, Diskriminierungssensibilität, Nachhaltigkeit’ at Institut für Theaterwissenschaften FU, Berlin. It features contributions discussing collectivity, discrimination sensitivity, and sustainability within the realm of cultural work.


Kulturarbeit transformieren (2024)
published by Berlin University Alliance
Riso-printed, 36 pages

This publication is a collaborative effort with participants from the seminar ‘Kulturarbeit transformieren–Kollektivität, Diskriminierungssensibilität, Nachhaltigkeit’ at Institut für Theaterwissenschaften FU, Berlin. It features contributions discussing collectivity, discrimination sensitivity, and sustainability within the realm of cultural work.


Glaihm–World Premiere Booklet (2023)
Riso-printed on semitransparent eco paper

The Glaihm display font is a dynamic typeface wit movement and fluidity. This dancing energy is showcased in a specimen brochure for the fictional dance piece "Glaihm".


Glaihm–World Premiere Booklet (2023)
Riso-printed on semitransparent eco paper

The Glaihm display font is a dynamic typeface wit movement and fluidity. This dancing energy is showcased in a specimen brochure for the fictional dance piece "Glaihm".


Galerie d’essais (2025)
Together with Emma Burel at Centre de la paresse, Anlezy
metal plate, hand-engraved

Jenny Odell, in the book ‘Inhabiting the Negative Space’ writes about Pauline Oliveros’s practice of Deep Listening and quotes: „listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you are doing. Such intense listening includes the sounds of daily life, of nature, of one’s own thoughts as well as musical sounds.“


Galerie d’essais (2025)
Together with Emma Burel at Centre de la paresse, Anlezy
metal plate, hand-engraved

Jenny Odell, in the book ‘Inhabiting the Negative Space’ writes about Pauline Oliveros’s practice of Deep Listening and quotes: „listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you are doing. Such intense listening includes the sounds of daily life, of nature, of one’s own thoughts as well as musical sounds.“


Gestaltung als Mittel politischer Aufklärung (2021)
Bachelor project, 80 pages

Can visual design shape political identity and influence societal attitudes? My Bachelor’s thesis explores the aesthetics of political adult education in Germany, analyzing whether current designs offer enough emotional engagement for audiences. The research investigates how visual style can impact political awareness and action, and whether effective campaigns can drive political change in a consumer-driven society.


Gestaltung als Mittel politischer Aufklärung (2021)
Bachelor project, 80 pages

Can visual design shape political identity and influence societal attitudes? My Bachelor’s thesis explores the aesthetics of political adult education in Germany, analyzing whether current designs offer enough emotional engagement for audiences. The research investigates how visual style can impact political awareness and action, and whether effective campaigns can drive political change in a consumer-driven society.


Gestaltung als Mittel politischer Aufklärung (2021)
Bachelor project, 80 pages

Can visual design shape political identity and influence societal attitudes? My Bachelor’s thesis explores the aesthetics of political adult education in Germany, analyzing whether current designs offer enough emotional engagement for audiences. The research investigates how visual style can impact political awareness and action, and whether effective campaigns can drive political change in a consumer-driven society.


Glaihm Display Font (2023)

The Glaihm typeface originated from a 2019 design, structured around a strict grid. Its core shapes derive from an ellipse and compressed semicircles, giving it a dynamic, almost rhythmic quality. In the 2023 revision, the original structure was preserved, while the forms were refined to enhance the typeface's movement and fluidity. The result is a design that seems to dance on the page.


Glaihm Display Font (2023)

The Glaihm typeface originated from a 2019 design, structured around a strict grid. Its core shapes derive from an ellipse and compressed semicircles, giving it a dynamic, almost rhythmic quality. In the 2023 revision, the original structure was preserved, while the forms were refined to enhance the typeface's movement and fluidity. The result is a design that seems to dance on the page.


Glaihm Display Font (2023)

The Glaihm typeface originated from a 2019 design, structured around a strict grid. Its core shapes derive from an ellipse and compressed semicircles, giving it a dynamic, almost rhythmic quality. In the 2023 revision, the original structure was preserved, while the forms were refined to enhance the typeface's movement and fluidity. The result is a design that seems to dance on the page.


Poleit (2021)

Poleit is an interactive platform that makes political concepts more accessible through clear term explanations. Functioning like a walkable encyclopedia, users can explore various "worlds" of terms and receive personalized reading and research recommendations via email. Developed in response to the lack of alternative platforms for political adult education, Poleit provides a playful, engaging way to explore socio-political issues. The platform is based on extensive research from my Bachelor’s thesis, which explored the role of design in political education and the intersection of activism and lifestyle


Poleit (2021)

Poleit is an interactive platform that makes political concepts more accessible through clear term explanations. Functioning like a walkable encyclopedia, users can explore various "worlds" of terms and receive personalized reading and research recommendations via email. Developed in response to the lack of alternative platforms for political adult education, Poleit provides a playful, engaging way to explore socio-political issues. The platform is based on extensive research from my Bachelor’s thesis, which explored the role of design in political education and the intersection of activism and lifestyle


Poleit (2021)

Poleit is an interactive platform that makes political concepts more accessible through clear term explanations. Functioning like a walkable encyclopedia, users can explore various "worlds" of terms and receive personalized reading and research recommendations via email. Developed in response to the lack of alternative platforms for political adult education, Poleit provides a playful, engaging way to explore socio-political issues. The platform is based on extensive research from my Bachelor’s thesis, which explored the role of design in political education and the intersection of activism and lifestyle


Poleit (2021)

Poleit is an interactive platform that makes political concepts more accessible through clear term explanations. Functioning like a walkable encyclopedia, users can explore various "worlds" of terms and receive personalized reading and research recommendations via email. Developed in response to the lack of alternative platforms for political adult education, Poleit provides a playful, engaging way to explore socio-political issues. The platform is based on extensive research from my Bachelor’s thesis, which explored the role of design in political education and the intersection of activism and lifestyle

Studio Brinkmann


Literaturfestival Kaiserslautern (2021)

This poster was created for the reading event featuring authors Mehrnousch Zaeri-Esfahani and Suleman Taufiq. The design reflects the themes of the reading, focusing on cultural exchange, storytelling, and identity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Studio Brinkmann


Berlin–Linz (2019)
published by Brandstätter Verlag, 240 pages, 
Hardcover


This project was a collaboration with the design studio Capitale Wien. The book was recognized as one of the 15 most beautiful books in Austria and was awarded Die schönsten Bücher Österreichs in 2020.


Voyage Voyage (2021)
self-published, analog photography magazine.

Voyage Voyage is a photo magazine celebrating the essence of travel. The images, all taken with a point-and-shoot camera, capture fleeting moments from various settings—whether from a car window, standing in the sea, riding a scooter, or wandering through a supermarket. The magazine aims to convey the spontaneity and dynamism of travel, highlighting the raw beauty and wonder of these transient experiences


Voyage Voyage (2021)
self-published, analog photography magazine.

Voyage Voyage is a photo magazine celebrating the essence of travel. The images, all taken with a point-and-shoot camera, capture fleeting moments from various settings—whether from a car window, standing in the sea, riding a scooter, or wandering through a supermarket. The magazine aims to convey the spontaneity and dynamism of travel, highlighting the raw beauty and wonder of these transient experiences


Voyage Voyage (2021)
self-published, analog photography magazine.

Voyage Voyage is a photo magazine celebrating the essence of travel. The images, all taken with a point-and-shoot camera, capture fleeting moments from various settings—whether from a car window, standing in the sea, riding a scooter, or wandering through a supermarket. The magazine aims to convey the spontaneity and dynamism of travel, highlighting the raw beauty and wonder of these transient experiences


Capitale Wiki (2019)
thread stitching, self-published

This project was developed together with the Capitale Studio Vienna, where I created both a digital and analog internal Wikipedia, along with a comprehensive starter kit. The digital Wikipedia is an adaptable resource, designed for continuous updates by employees to support daily operations. The analog version provides an overview of the agency's foundational practices. Complementing these resources, the starter kit, aligned with the agency’s corporate identity, includes a booklet to assist new employees. This booklet is intended for personal notes and serves as a reference for essential information such as passwords and server structures


Capitale Wiki (2019)
thread stitching, self-published

This project was developed together with the Capitale Studio Vienna, where I created both a digital and analog internal Wikipedia, along with a comprehensive starter kit. The digital Wikipedia is an adaptable resource, designed for continuous updates by employees to support daily operations. The analog version provides an overview of the agency's foundational practices. Complementing these resources, the starter kit, aligned with the agency’s corporate identity, includes a booklet to assist new employees. This booklet is intended for personal notes and serves as a reference for essential information such as passwords and server structures


Capitale Wiki (2019)
thread stitching, self-published

This project was developed together with the Capitale Studio Vienna, where I created both a digital and analog internal Wikipedia, along with a comprehensive starter kit. The digital Wikipedia is an adaptable resource, designed for continuous updates by employees to support daily operations. The analog version provides an overview of the agency's foundational practices. Complementing these resources, the starter kit, aligned with the agency’s corporate identity, includes a booklet to assist new employees. This booklet is intended for personal notes and serves as a reference for essential information such as passwords and server structures


Capitale Wiki (2019)
thread stitching, self-published

This project was developed together with the Capitale Studio Vienna, where I created both a digital and analog internal Wikipedia, along with a comprehensive starter kit. The digital Wikipedia is an adaptable resource, designed for continuous updates by employees to support daily operations. The analog version provides an overview of the agency's foundational practices. Complementing these resources, the starter kit, aligned with the agency’s corporate identity, includes a booklet to assist new employees. This booklet is intended for personal notes and serves as a reference for essential information such as passwords and server structures


Style Exercies (2018)

Style Exercises is inspired by Raymond Queneau's language game, where a single observation is presented in 100 stylistically distinct variations, each altering the interpretation of the content. In this project, this concept was applied to typography and layout within editorial design. The text is reimagined across different stylistic variants, showcasing the diverse possibilities of visual presentation. The result features the double-page spread design of the magazine. For more details, visit here.


Style Exercies (2018)

Style Exercises is inspired by Raymond Queneau's language game, where a single observation is presented in 100 stylistically distinct variations, each altering the interpretation of the content. In this project, this concept was applied to typography and layout within editorial design. The text is reimagined across different stylistic variants, showcasing the diverse possibilities of visual presentation. The result features the double-page spread design of the magazine. For more details, visit here.


Bacio (in progress)
experimental typedesign

The concept of this type is based on the original form of a circle. The round character is to be emphasised in every single letter. Bacio is playful and spreads positivity. Above all, it should be fun to use the typeface. The first draft of Bacio was published in the student magazine Item. Have a look.


Bacio (in progress)
experimental typedesign

The concept of this type is based on the original form of a circle. The round character is to be emphasised in every single letter. Bacio is playful and spreads positivity. Above all, it should be fun to use the typeface. The first draft of Bacio was published in the student magazine Item. Have a look.