Why SOFA went digital

Creating a seamless visual design was as important to Caia and Ricarda as SOFA’s editorial content. From the beginning, they dreamed of how to reflect an evolving intellectual and social media culture in one editorial design. “Many of our readers have told us from the beginning that in print SOFA has always felt like holding the internet in their hands. Our website is an important way for us to show how we can create digital impact in the same way, where coming to our url feels like the magical experience of snuggling up with a print magazine,” explains Caia.

The website functions as an ongoing archive for the chaotic, constantly shifting energy of internet culture. “We wanted to create a digital space that would work as a portal to this world and could help materialize the concept of an ongoing chatroom and discussion space. One where the audience can feed directly into the conversations we’re having, creating a deeper sense of community and intimacy,” Ricarda adds.

How SOFA made the shift

The SOFA team began assembling their debut digital issue in early 2021 and went live later in August. The magazine designers, Berlin-based Studio Yukiko, who have been with SOFA since the very beginning and have been crucial in forming the aesthetic voice of the magazine, built the digital version of SOFA using Readymag. “We talked a lot about creating a digital site but felt limited in what we were able to do with generic templates,” says Ricarda.

“If you want site coding, the costs can exceed your budget very quickly. We were so excited that Studio Yukiko were up for the adventure of bringing our ideas to life with Readymag.”

“One of the Readymag features that really helped bring the playfulness of SOFA to the screen was animation. It really makes the whole identity come alive,” adds Paloma Moniz from Studio Yukiko. “The Form feature was another that allowed us to connect directly with our audience, but our favorite is the mobile layout option, it really saved a lot of time during the design process.” The SOFA team is currently working on its next digital issue with Readymag.

“It was important for us to have our shop integrated with the site, so it could be designed in the same style and showcase some of our magazine spreads without a seperate system or URL,” Ricarda adds.

What is SOFA magazine?

SOFA began in 2016 as a print-based indie magazine that covers current events and looks into the near future. The concept, imagined by founding editors-in-chief Caia Hagel and Ricarda Messner, is to chat with strangers online and irl to intimately explore one taboo topic in depth per issue.

The first four print issues focused on Gen Z, Cyberlove, Masculinities and Playtime.Several design and culture media including Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany and It's Nice That have featured SOFA in their publications.

Learn how to make an online shop with Readymag

Does everyone need to go digital?

Caia and Ricarda are not sure that the trend of digitalization fits every print outlet: “We are beyond any trend now, so this is a very broad discussion to have.

It’s important to ask ourselves what we want to narrate through our medium and what media best serves that narration.

In the case of our website, along with showcasing content that is raw and un-media-like in its intimacy (and making this a little more interactive), we’re also trying to show that you can break the assumption that digital content needs to change constantly. Our first online issue, which takes on the exciting theme of Confessions, feels similar to a hard copy magazine that you can always return to and discover something new.”