Whether you’re a fan of Pink Floyd or not, chances are you know exactly what the album covers of The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here look like. But you might not be familiar with the creative duo behind those iconic images: Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell, AKA Hipgnosis, the innovative design studio. Hipgnosis went from making covers for their friends to establishing themselves as the driving force behind visual identities of some of the most popular artists of the 1970s, including Led Zeppelin, 10CC, and Paul McCartney’s Wings. Their methods were unconventional, their budgets unreasonable, but they were visionaries who artfully manipulated photographic images long before computer graphics became ubiquitous. Director Anton Corbijn, who defined the aesthetics of bands such as Depeche Mode and U2, tells the tale with great visual flair.

Age recommendation: 15+

Notes by David O’Mahony