Hurtwood were given the honour of producing this luxury art catalogue in 2019 to commemorate the first year that The Republic of Ghana exhibited at the Venice Biennale.
The pavilion showcased the work of six Ghanean artists as well as an essay from the architect of the pavilion, Sir David Adjaye OBE.
The book had to compete on a global arts stage and stand out among some huge budgets. The designer wanted to use a thin paper for the pages, but to retain a substantial feel to the book. For that reason, we suggested using a high bulk paper which, whilst only 120g, has the bulk of 170g. In this way we added 5mm to the spine without adding a penny to the cost.
However, in a competitive book world, the cover was vital and here Sir David Adjaye took control, creating a beautiful abstract pattern referencing the design of the Pavilion. The colours used for the text reflected two of Ghana’s most important exports – gold & copper – and the cover was the same. To capture this, we used a special iridescent silk-screen process, using pigments from the cosmetics industry to move in hue from gold to copper; all against a very dense black field.
The result? An outstanding book that also stands out. A book produced within budget, but with no compromise on quality.
*Ota binding- where the spine comes away from the book, like in a hardback.
