276x195mm Books
Cover onto Wicotex Brillianta #4235
Foilco #923 to outer
Wrapped over greyboard case
Printed combined 4pp end papers onto 170gsm Uncoated
144pp Text onto 170gsm Silk
Four colour print throughout
Trimmed collated and case bound
Prominent portrait artist and Chiltern Firehouse artist in residence, Alice Instone, approached Ex Why Zed to print her new project. The Pram in the Hall is a brilliantly simple but hugely creative idea celebrating our national obsession with making lists at the expense of actually doing the work. The finished book is a curated collection of ‘To Do Lists’ from influential women including Emma Freud, Bianca Jagger, Shami Chakrabati, Sadie Frost and Alice Temperley (we could have gone on and on here with an exhaustive list). Each spread provides a thought provoking and intensely fascinating insight into the daily routines of women in the public eye.
The accompanying exhibition launched on International Women’s Day 2016. The project inspired an eye catching series of full colour giclee paintings which are also featured within the book.
To get the ball rolling we arranged for a set of foil samples to be sent out from Foilco, choices for the hard back cover from Winter & Co and our own Ex Why Zed paper swatches for the text paper. Alice was keen for the cover paper to resemble an old school sticking plaster. You know the ones: remember when you fell over on the playground and the dinner lady mended you? Yep that’s it! They always hurt a little when you torn them off. So, dusty pink with a slight texture was the order of the day and we found a sheet called Wicotex Brillianta #4235 which proved to be an ideal solution. The cover content would also be foiled to form a striking contrast in finishes and colours between the foil and paper.
With the materials agreed we printed a hard copy proof of the finished artwork designed by Sam Bragg to make sure the colour reproduction was spot on. The work was printed on our Indigo digital presses to ensure punchy colours and crisp detail. The text copy was approved almost instantly so we then went ahead with the print final run.
Logistically we had to deliver whilst the exhibition was being set up. We liaised with Alice to ensure the foiling, printing and binding was completed within a few days and delivered in plenty of time for the high profile book launch in Central London.
The Pram in the Hall is a stunning publication which sets new benchmarks for production values, combination of materials and creative content. It is right up there with the best work we have ever produced. Quite simply, the finished book is a work of art in its own right and a must read.
