Public Practice is a social enterprise with a mission to build the public sector’s capability to improve the quality, equality and sustainability of places.
The team at Public Practice approached Soapbox to help establish a new annual magazine, Public Notice. This became a unique publication: a ‘placemakers’ magazine that spotlights, celebrates and explains the critical role of the public sector – and public servants – in shaping our everyday places for the better.

The internal team at Public Practice already had strong ideas for the magazine content. Our editor and designer worked with them to form a publication structure, refining and flatplanning to make sure the stories were varied, engaging and coherent.
Both teams planned the magazine with an eye to the future, imagining how structures and themes could be repeated or developed in next year’s edition.

Public Practice were keen to create a distinctive and sharp look for the publication, while bringing out the strong community nature of all the highlighted projects. To inform a design approach, we began by taking a deeper look at the visions, values and approach of Public Practice. Alongside this, we explored inspirational publications that they had highlighted, to better understand the territory and opportunity.
At this early stage we also spent considerable time researching sustainable and impactful print options that would elevate the publication and meet Public Practice’s ethical standards.
Our designers made recommendations on how to bring the content to life through imagery and illustration, for example, developing guidance for how bespoke photography could be commissioned and applied throughout the magazine.

With a visual style agreed, we continued to collaborate with Public Practice to deliver a complete audience-appropriate identity for the publication. We created a brand that was fresh and distinct, but still recognisable as a Public Practice design, and that Public Practice could build on for future editions of the magazine.

As the final content began to take shape, and with the design and print specifications finalised, the layout could begin. We worked spread-by-spread to create bespoke designs tailored to each article, matching the agreed visual designs while respecting the needs of the piece and the publication as a whole. At all times, we looked to maximise impact, clarity and consistency.

The final output was a beautifully designed magazine that Public Practice was proud to showcase.
We had always dreamed of creating a publication that celebrates everyday places, and working with Soapbox turned that vision into reality. With their expertise, they helped us refine our many ideas, identify our unique selling point, and develop a magazine that would resonate with our audience. Soapbox took the time to truly understand our brand, values, and commitment to quality and sustainability, guiding us through the process and helping us create a pilot magazine we are genuinely proud of.
Pooja Agrawal, CEO, Public Practice