10 Lesser Known Hipgnosis Masterpieces

Hipgnosis created some of music's most iconic album covers in the 1970s. You know their famous work: Led Zeppelin's "Houses of the Holy", Pink Floyd's "Animals", and Peter Gabriel's "Melt". These covers are legendary, and rightfully so.

But here's the thing. Hipgnosis designed hundreds of albums, and many of their best work flies under the radar. You might own these records without realising the same creative minds behind "Dark Side of the Moon" also created them.

I discovered this while waiting for the new film Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) to reach Australian cinemas. There's also Vinyl . Album . Cover . Art: The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue, which serious collectors apparently need to own. Both got me digging deeper into their lesser-known masterpieces.

Quick Hipgnosis Background

Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell started Hipgnosis in London during the 1960s. Their breakthrough came with Pink Floyd's "A Saucerful of Secrets" in 1968. From there, they created surreal, thought-provoking imagery that changed how people thought about album art.

They worked with everyone from Genesis to Yes to Led Zeppelin, using experimental photography and wild concepts. The collective disbanded in 1983, but their influence continues today. Museums still exhibit their work, and designers still study their techniques.

Source Hipgnosis on Wikipedia and an AI bot who shall remain nameless (they know who they are).

10 Great Covers You Might Not Recognise

This isn't about their most famous work. You already know "Wish You Were Here" and "Dark Side of the Moon". Instead, here are ten brilliant Hipgnosis covers that deserve more recognition. This list is completely subjective, so if you disagree, make your own list. I still think you're great, even if you're wrong.

‍

"Director Anton Corbijn's first documentary, Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), is a fascinating and suitably maverick snapshot of a richly creative moment in music history, told through a couple of disreputable hippies who designed some of the most iconic album covers of all time" ~ The Guardian

For more detailed stories about the making of these album covers, I highly recommend checking out the following articles:

• Hipgnosis’ Life in 15 Album Covers: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and More by Rolling Stone
• How the most iconic album art of the 70s was made on a shoestring budget by Huck Magazine
• Top 20 album covers by celebrated design group Hipgnosis by Goldmine Magazine