Discover the captivating stories behind the iconic album covers of the 1970s in Anton Corbijn‘s documentary. “Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)” delves into the innovative and surreal art created by the British design studio over a 15-year span, beginning in 1968. Their name, a fusion of “hip” and “gnostic” pronounced like “hypnosis,” reflects the unique and distinct approach they took in designing album covers.
The creative geniuses behind album art for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney. Conjurers of impossible visuals, Hipgnosis was at the white-hot center of the maddest, funniest and most creative era in the history of popular music.
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 the innovative design studio Hipgnosis.
Hipgnosis went from making covers for their mates (the likes of David Gilmour and Syd Barrett) to establishing themselves as the driving force behind the visual identities of some of the most popular artists of the 1970s (think Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney). Their methods were unconventional, and their budgets often unreasonable, but they were fearless visionaries who artfully manipulated photographic images long before computer graphics became ubiquitous.
Corbijn’s film is a charming, witty, beautifully crafted tale of challenging friendships, passion, and vision, full of fascinating anecdotes and big music personalities.