In October 2009, Alexandre Dellal and Xerxes Cook from 20 Hoxton Square Gallery organised The Embassy, an exhibition parallel to Frieze Art Fair. It took place at the former Embassy of Sierra Leone in London, using the building as diplomatic facilities of a fictional, problematic country.

The selection of artists included Terence Koh, Michael Lisle-Taylor, Laurence Owen and Oliver Clegg presenting work discussing power relationships and failed states. The curators invited us to design a catalogue that featured additional essays that didn't refer to the work displayed, but acted as commissioned art pieces.

The catalogue is structured by alternating the artworks with the commisioned essays printed black and white on uncoated stock. Each of the texts was designed in its own manner resembling a collection of documents gathered from different sources. This was a signal of disorganisation from this failed state, and had the function of enhancing the individuality of each essay.

The understated typography gives to the book a bureaucratic feel, deliberately referring to the officialism the exhibition was playing with. This is also reflected in the cover, featuring the United Nations official blue printed on passport paper. The typographic arrangement on the cover gives an architectural feeling, playing with the idea of the embassy as a space within a space. It also referred to the area where the exhibition was held which is surrounded by other embassies.