Once Upon a Town (or OUT for short) is a bimonthly magazine I founded and produced with my brother Cai when we ran a design agency together in Epsom. It’s a new type of free local magazine that provides readers with top quality design, editorial and production values more commonly seen in high-end newsstand publications.
We wanted to give something back to the town that was home to our studio, and celebrate all that is great and good about the area. With editorial deep dives, interviews, artistic contributions from local talent, and a handy What’s On guide suggesting wonderful ways for local people to make the most of their free time, Once Upon a Town is proving what we all already knew - that Epsom is more than just a day at the races.
As the founders, publishers, editors and art directors of the magazine, we were responsible for all aspects of its creation, from content ideas and commissioning to page design and distribution.
Unlike most local magazines, we wanted to give the editorial content real standout and space to breathe, using eye-catching photography, interesting illustration and powerful typography to create layouts that provided our audience with the best reading experience.
Our intention with the magazine was to create a product that local people want to pick up because it looks great; read from start to finish because it’s full of informative and useful knowledge; and keep or pass on to a friend or neighbour, because they love it.
The response to the magazine from local people and businesses was phenomenal and saw us collaborate and work with the likes of Toyota, The Jockey Club and Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, as well as many smaller, independent local businesses.
The Covid pandemic hit our plans for the magazine and saw us put it on hold, but with things looking more optimistic we intend to come back stronger and hopefully extend the Once Upon a Town brand beyond the borders of Epsom and Ewell. Watch this space…
“Wow! I’ve just picked up Issue 02 of Once Upon a Town and now wish I’d seen Issue 01! I love the magazine - the size, design, paper quality, colour and the very relevant content for this time of year.
I just wanted to say ‘well done’, and sorry, I’m not passing on to a friend, I am keeping for myself!”
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