Artwork can make or break an album. What would Dark Side of the Moon be without the prism? What would Animals be without Algie the airborne pig? Over the period stretching between 1968 and 1982, one sleeve artist design group reigned king, and that was Hipgnosis.
Somehow in that 14 year period, that London-based collective re-defined the album cover, turning the world away from group and head shots entirely and spinning records in the direction of more conceptual, mind-bending and aesthetic front covers. There’s 373 of the world’s most esteemed records ever with their names printed on the inside, and that massive collection is finally being compiled into a single catalogue.
You’ve seen their art, but have you heard their name? The entire catalogue of Hipgnosis is finally being released into the world as a unified collection.
Hipgnosis most notably designed the artwork for almost every single Pink Floyd album, and it was after Dark Side of the Moon was unveiled in 1973 that their name hit the world stage.
Their catalogue also includes covers from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, David Gilmour and heaps, heaps more.
Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art is being published on 13th April by Thames & Hudson. Pre-order yours here.
And while we’re at it, here are some of our favourite works from Hipgnosis ever:
Via The Vinyl Factory.
