WILDSAM
City by the Sea, seen.
Guidebook images from Wildsam
Guidebook images from Wildsam
THE BRIEF
Wildsam is a travel brand built on Americana and beloved for its insightful, pocket-sized guides to celebrated U.S. cities. In keeping with its mission to uncover the best the country has to offer, Wildsam chose Newport, Rhode Island as the second in its “Town” series and Fat Lip as its local collaborator. We helped Wildsam shape the book by sharing those gems that would only be on a resident’s radar.
BESTS
Wildsam’s guides have a distinct, pared-down style. The brand opts for sketched cartoons for imagery and keeps its recs brief, fun, and smart. Fat Lip’s ability to verbally shape shift made it easy to reframe Newport’s historic charm within Wildsam’s cheeky personality.
ALMANAC
Each Wildsam guide comes with an Almanac section, described as “a deep dive into cultural heritage through news clippings, timelines and other historical hearsay.” It’s a great showcase for lesser-known stories and listicles that would feel out of place in a typical travel guide. Fat Lip pitched multiple features for this section; biking bourgeoisie, Captain John Lennon, Indigenous place names, and incredulous headlines from America’s oldest paper all earned their space on the page.
Wildsam’s trick is to tell those stories that present a tactile, rather than textbook, history of a place.
MAPS
Wildsam guides might be best known for their custom maps. Fat Lip contributed the content for two: “By the Sea,” a water-forward tour of town, and “Old Sport,” a trip through Newport’s surprising athletic history.
INTERVIEWS
Wildsam does a great job of featuring local characters in their guides, where both prominent names and community-minded members command equal space. Fat Lip contributed four interviews: Kim, a seasoned sailor and America’s Cup boat builder; Bill, tennis director at the Tennis Hall of Fame; Robert, Fort Adams tour director; and Jesse, boxing gym owner and Boys & Girls Club champion.
STORIES
Each guide concludes with Stories, a section featuring personal work from writers tied to the town. Throughout the process, Fat Lip connected the Wildsam team to Rhode Island business owners, locals, and writers who made the guide a pint-sized reflection of a dynamic community.
“It was an absolute delight to work with Meg on the Wildsam Newport book! She lent her local Newport expertise to countless brainstorming sessions as the book took shape over the course of a few months. Her writing fit seamlessly into the world of Wildsam, immediately striking the perfect balance between the publication's voice and her own. Working with her on this book felt truly collaborative and extremely fun!”
Madison Trapkin, Editor, Wildsam
