Norwich City Guides

Norwich, one of the UK’s best-kept secrets, is a city overflowing with arts, culture, cool bars, lifestyle stores, and artisan bakeries. Back in 2012, however, there was nothing that showcased the best of Norwich for visitors, students, and locals. This made it difficult for people to discover the underground hotspots and hidden gems that made the city unique.

As the founder and creative director behind SHHHH, I conceptualised, curated, and executed the creation of the SHHHH City Guide, designed to fill this void and connect people with the city’s most vibrant independent businesses. I was played a role in the entire process—from content creation and layout design to distribution and marketing strategy.

I created a curated guide that featured Norwich’s independent eateries, cafes, bars, and shops—the places where locals, my friends, and I loved to hang out. The guide became a compendium of the city’s most beloved spots, serving as an insider’s view of the best Norwich had to offer, all in one place. We printed the first edition as a physical product, distributing it across the businesses featured within the guide.

We printed 1,000 copies of Volume 1, featuring 60 local businesses. The guide created a huge buzz and disappeared from stockists within a week. Due to popular demand, we reprinted Volume 1 a month later, and the guide has continued to grow year after year.

Today, the latest edition features over 200 businesses, has quadrupled in page count, and has been a continuous best-seller. The print run has expanded from 1,000 to 10,000 copies, stocked in over 200 locations both locally and nationally.

Both Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) and the University of East Anglia (UEA) recognised the guide’s potential and began using it at open days to encourage prospective students to study in Norwich. The guide has become a key component of the city’s tourism marketing, showcasing the best the independent scene has to offer while attracting talent and convincing students to study here.

The SHHHH City Guide has cemented itself among Norwich’s thriving independent scene of creators, makers, and businesses, helping anyone looking to discover the city experience a truly authentic side of Norwich.