Crown Jewels Souvenir Brochure

Historic Royal Palaces approached David Hughes and Piers Rutterford to design a souvenir brochure for the Crown Jewels. This new design was to coincide with the Jewels’ move from a dark, cramped vault to a sparkling new Jewel House at the Tower of London.

The catalogue was to contain all new photography for which David Chalmers was commissioned. To make things trickier, the Jewels could only be shot at night after the last of the visiting public had left.

Overseen by two burly Yeoman of the Ward (Beefeaters to you and me), the white-gloved Crown Jeweller, David Thomas, carefully removed item after item placing them delicately in front of bespoke, hand-dyed back drops.

The brochure design itself had to allow for seven language changes which meant printing two black plates – one for text and one for the images.

The result was a 52-page document, printed by renowned art book specialists, Lund Humphries. The first print run sold out in record time triggering the first of many reprints. And a hike in the cover price!