Documentary Celebrates Hipgnosis, Designers of Iconic Album Covers
A new documentary titled "Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)" directed by Anton Corbijn chronicles the legendary British design studio Hipgnosis, known for creating iconic album covers for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and others. Founded in the 1960s in Cambridge by Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell, and Peter Christopherson, the studio operated until 1983, producing memorable covers that became collector's items. The film features interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel, and Noel Gallagher. It is now streaming on Apple TV after a theatrical release in the US and UK.
Key facts
- Hipgnosis was a photography and graphic design studio specializing in album covers.
- Founded by Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell, and Peter Christopherson in Cambridge in the 1960s.
- The studio operated until 1983, though Thorgerson continued designing album covers.
- Hipgnosis created covers for AC/DC, Black Sabbath, The Police, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Syd Barrett, The Who, Wings, Yes, and XTC.
- The cover for Led Zeppelin's 'In Through the Out Door' (1978) had six different variants wrapped in brown paper.
- Hipgnosis had no fixed price list; clients determined the fee.
- The complete catalog of Hipgnosis covers was published in 2017 as 'Vinyl, Album, Cover, Art: The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue'.
- The documentary 'Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)' is directed by Anton Corbijn and is available on Apple TV.
Entities
Artists
- Storm Thorgerson
- Aubrey Powell
- Peter Christopherson
- Anton Corbijn
- Roger Waters
- David Gilmour
- Nick Mason
- Jimmy Page
- Robert Plant
- Paul McCartney
- Peter Gabriel
- Noel Gallagher
- Graham Gouldman
- Syd Barrett
Institutions
- Hipgnosis
- Apple TV
- Pink Floyd
- Led Zeppelin
- AC/DC
- Black Sabbath
- The Police
- Genesis
- The Who
- Wings
- Yes
- XTC
- 10cc
- Coldplay
- Depeche Mode
- Nirvana
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Metallica
- U2
- Nick Cave
Locations
- Cambridge
- United Kingdom
- United States
- England