If there was ever a design studio that mirrored its clients’ flamboyant rock’n’roll lifestyles, it was Hipgnosis, who created iconic sleeve art for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, and Wings amongst many. Hot off the heels of Mark Blake’s authorised Hipgnosis biog, legendary photographer, film and art director Anton Corbijn brings the Hipgnosis story to the big screen as Squaring The Circle, with enthusiastic contributors from rock royalty.

The surviving members of Pink Floyd, Led Zep’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Paul McCartney, and Peter Gabriel all have tales to tell, as well as great affection for Hipgnosis founders Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell and the late Storm Thorgerson, who are described as being like “chalk and cheese”. Not only does Corbijn get generous interview time with the previously mentioned rarely interviewed big names, but also use their music which is quite a feat. As a result, Squaring The Circle really is quite spectacular and beautifully put together; Corbijn’s experience and flair as a photographer and film director are evident throughout.

Powell, meanwhile, steers Squaring The Circle’s narrative forward with wit and reflection, from the 1960s through to the early 80s. There is never a dull moment, with crazy stories relayed concerning the creation of timeless artwork such as Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album cover – which involved setting a suited stuntman on fire for the cover photo, long before Photoshop was available for visual embellishment (or budgets were dramatically cut).

Throughout Squaring The Circle, Corbijn keeps his talking guests as well as archive footage in grainy black and white and lets the Hipgnosis art come to life in spectacular colour, in what is a beautifully shot informative visual experience laced with emotion and humour.

Dir: Anton Corbijn (15, 101 mins)

Squaring The Circle: The Story Of Hipgnosis is in cinemas and on demand now, with a DVD/Blu-ray release on Mon 7 Aug

words DAVID NOBAKHT