Hi, I’m Nahal Sheikh. Welcome to my creative practice, NAHAL کأ STUDIO. A small space for mindful collaborations that value visual design to narrate stories. On this page, you’ll see my portfolio full of editorial illustrations, book covers, posters, music album cover art and more.
A bit about my background – I’m a graphic designer and researcher with Pakistani roots, based in Amsterdam. Curious about connecting historical and contemporary aesthetics, my work constantly merges cross-cultural design languages. I’m currently obsessed with Bauhaus minimalism and Urdu typography.
Alongside, I’m a Lecturer in Media and Culture at the University of Amsterdam. I teach themes of racialised and
gendered identity in media representation from a post- and de-colonial perspective. My current research focuses on South Asian graphic design history and visual culture, looking at design as inherently political.
nahalrsheikh@gmail.com
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nahalrsheikh@gmail.com
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Conferences
& Talks
“Soft Scripts: Urdu Typography and the “new ideal” of Postcolonial Femininity in 20th century Pakistani Advertising,” in Typography Theory Pracitce at School of Arts, Leeds Beckett University, 2025.
Academic Publications
“The Sociogeny of Religious Discrimination in India’s Surveillance State,”
Soapbox Journal of Cultural Analysis, 2022.
“Reminiscences of Morals: A socio-psychological analysis of bystander unconsciousness in Waltz with Bashir,” Maastricht Journal of Liberal Arts, 2017.
“Recognize your history: Re-narrating the ‘glorified’ Indian Partition 1947,” jfa human rights journal, 2021.
“Midnight Doorways: Usman T. Malik on Pakistani folklore, fables and horror tales,”
Youlin Magazine, 2021.
“Archiving Fashion: In conversation with the author and photographer of ‘Pakistan: A Fashionable History’,”
Youlin Magazine, 2020.
“Pakistani popular music: towards an apolitical and original culture,”
The Nation, 2019.
“Let’s go digital, let’s get active!” Express Impress Virtual Exhibition, 2021.
Last Updated 24.10.31
EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION
“My last days with my daughter” by Steven McCann in the New Statesman (2026)
On a deeply personal piece by a father on the last days with his daughter spent through rituals in a hospital
On a deeply personal piece by a father on the last days with his daughter spent through rituals in a hospital
Substack Illustration
“Besharam, But Only in English” by Zarah Haider on her Substack newsletter ‘Zero Point’ (2026)
On the sexual revolution happened in Pakistan which just happened for the people who could afford the dictionary
On the sexual revolution happened in Pakistan which just happened for the people who could afford the dictionary
Editoiral Illustration Series
“Every Breath is a Translation” in Writing Women (2025)
On personal essays about the meaning of translation written by a diverse set of writers across South Asia and its diaspora
“Beyond Bars” in Himal Southasian Magazine (2024)
On personal essays about the meaning of translation written by a diverse set of writers across South Asia and its diaspora
“Beyond Bars” in Himal Southasian Magazine (2024)
Stories on incarceration across South Asia exploring colonial-era laws, delayed trials, overcrowded prisons and terrible conditions of internment
POSTERS
PODCAST COVER ART
“Palim Oil Frontier” for Dialogue Earth
Cover art and episode illustrations for an investigative podcast series exploring the global expansion of palm oil, particularly the underreported regions of Sierra Leone, Ecuador, and India – to uncover how this commodity impacts indigenous lands, local livelihoods, and consumer awareness.
Cover art and episode illustrations for an investigative podcast series exploring the global expansion of palm oil, particularly the underreported regions of Sierra Leone, Ecuador, and India – to uncover how this commodity impacts indigenous lands, local livelihoods, and consumer awareness.
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