Hipgnosis Portraits

With a bookplate signed by Aubrey Powell.

In just fifteen years, Hipgnosis (Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Po Powell and Peter Christopherson) established themselves as the most important design collective in music history. Their innovative cover art defines the albums of the biggest names of the late 1960s, 70s and early 80s: AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Peter Gabriel, The Police, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, T. Rex, Wings, Yes and XTC, to name just a few.

Their iconic designs, including Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, grace a staggering number of major releases. Their boundary-breaking conceptual approach earned them five Grammy nominations for package design, and their influence today can be seen in all creative fields from advertising to fashion.

This book is divided into two main sections: Part I, ‘Imagination’, tells the story behind the cover artwork from germination through to the final sleeve design, supported by a wide array of archival materials and text from Aubrey Powell. Part II, ‘Realization’, showcases the band portraits themselves, whether album covers or otherwise, in beautiful, large-scale reproductions. Both sections are arranged alphabetically and cross-referenced throughout.

Hardback – 288 pages.
Published in 2014 by Thames & Hudson

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