Storm Elvin Thorgerson (28 February 1944 – 18 April 2013) was an English art director and music video director. He is best known for closely working with the group Pink Floyd through most of their career, and also created album or other art for 10cc, the Alan Parsons Project, Black Sabbath, Catherine Wheel, the Cranberries, Led Zeppelin, the Mars Volta, Muse, and Phish.
Early life Thorgerson, who was of Norwegian descent, was born in Potters Bar, Middlesex (now part of Hertfordshire). He attended Summerhill School, Brunswick Primary School in Cambridge, and the Cambridgeshire High School for Boys with Pink Floyd founders Syd Barrett, who was in the year below him, and Roger Waters, who was in the year above him. Thorgerson and Waters played rugby together at school, while Thorgerson's mother Vanji and Waters' mother Mary were close friends. He studied English and Philosophy at the University of Leicester, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours, before studying Film and Television at the Royal College of Art, where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree.
He was a teenage friend of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and best man at Gilmour's wedding to Polly Samson in 1994.
Career In 1968, along with Aubrey Powell, he founded the graphic art group Hipgnosis, and between them they designed many famous single and album covers, with Peter Christopherson joining them for their later commissions.The photodesigns of Hipgnosis The Goodbye look. Vermillion Hutchinson Publishing Group. 1982 In 1983, following the dissolution of Hipgnosis, Thorgerson and Powell formed Greenback Films, producing music videos. In the early nineties, Thorgerson inaugurated Storm Studios along with Peter Curzon—a loose group of freelancers. The line up included Rupert Truman (photographer), Finlay Cowan (designer and illustrator), Daniel Abbott (designer and artist), Lee Baker (creative retoucher and designer), and Jerry Sweet (designer) along with Thorgerson's personal assistants, Laura Truman (prints), and Charlotte Barnes.
Perhaps Thorgerson's most famous designs are those for Pink Floyd."Article on Storm Thorgerson" , Q magazine, 1992 His design for The Dark Side of the Moon has been called one of the greatest album covers of all time. Designed by Thorgerson and Hipgnosis, the artwork for the cover itself was drawn by George Hardie,The Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd's Iconic Album, BBC a designer at NTA Studios. Many of Thorgerson's designs are notable for their surreal elements. He often places objects out of their traditional contexts, especially with vast spaces around them, to give them an awkward appearance while highlighting their beauty. To quote Thorgerson, "I like photography because it is a reality medium, unlike drawing which is unreal. I like to mess with reality ... to bend reality. Some of my works beg the question of is it real or not?"Taken by Storm: The Art of Storm Thorgerson, Music Box, October 2004, Volume 11, No. 10
Over the years, Thorgerson and his team designed and released several books about their work. The first, published in 1989, was titled Classic Album Covers of 60s. The Gathering Storm – A Quartet in Several Parts was the final book Thorgerson worked on with his team and it was completed just before his death in April 2013. The book was released in September 2013 and includes album covers artwork, photographs, and anecdotes, spanning five decades from his early work with Hipgnosis through to StormStudios.
In 2013, Prog Magazine renamed its Grand Design Award after Thorgerson. It is now known as the Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award and will be given to the designer of the year's best-packaged product. Thorgerson had won the 2012 award for his continued work with Pink Floyd.
Death and legacy
In 2003, Thorgerson suffered a stroke, from which he was partially paralysed. He was later diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer which eventually led to his death in London on 18 April 2013, at the age of 69. He is buried on the eastern side of Highgate Cemetery.
After Thorgerson's death, David Gilmour released a statement describing him as "a constant force in my life, both at work and in private, a shoulder to cry on, and a great friend". A post on the official Pink Floyd website called him a "graphic genius". Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason said that he was a "tireless worker right up to the end".
In 2015, a film documentary, Taken by Storm, was released on DVD and web streaming. Another documentary, titled Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), focused on the legacy of the Hipgnosis studio, was released in 2022.
Works
Album cover designs (1968–2014)
10cc Sheet Music (1974) The Original Soundtrack (1975) How Dare You! (1976) Deceptive Bends (1977) Bloody Tourists (1978) Greatest Hits 1972–1978 (1979) Look Hear? (1980) Windows in the Jungle (1983) Mirror Mirror (1994) Clever Clogs (2008) Tenology (2012) AC/DC Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) (international edition) Airwaves Next Stop (1979) Alan Parsons Try Anything Once (1993) On Air (1996) The Time Machine (1999) A Valid Path (2004) The Alan Parsons Project Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976) I Robot (1977) Pyramid (1978) Eve (1979) Eye in the Sky (1982) Ammonia Avenue (1984) The Almighty Just Add Life (1996) Al Stewart Past, Present and Future (1973) Modern Times (1975) Year of the Cat (1976) The Early Years (1977) Time Passages (1978) Amazulu "Mony Mony" (single) (1987) "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" (single) (1987) The Amplifetes Where Is the Light (2013) Another Animal Another Animal (2007) The Answer New Horizon (2013) Anthrax Stomp 442 (1995) A.P. and the Heath Bleak Future (EP) (2013) Argent Ring of Hands (1971) In Deep (1973) Ashra Correlations (1979) Audience The House on the Hill (1971) Lunch (1972) You Can't Beat 'em (1973) Audioslave Audioslave (2002) The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (1968) Doctor Dunbar's Prescription (1969) To Mum, From Aynsley & the Boys (1969) Remains to Be Heard (1970) Bad Company Bad Company (1974) Straight Shooter (1975) Burnin' Sky (1977) Desolation Angels (1979) Rough Diamonds (1982) Barclay James Harvest Welcome to the Show (1990) Be-Bop Deluxe Drastic Plastic (1978) Biffy Clyro Puzzle (2007) "Saturday Superhouse" (2007) "Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies" (2007) "Folding Stars" (2007) "Machines" (2007) Only Revolutions (2009) "That Golden Rule" (2009) "The Captain" (2009) "Lonely Revolutions" (2010) Opposites (2013) "Black Chandelier" (2013) "Biblical" (2013) "Opposite" (2013) "Victory Over the Sun" (2013) "Similarities" (2014) Black Sabbath Technical Ecstasy (1976) Never Say Die! (1978) Blinker the Star August Everywhere (1999) Blue Mink A Time of Change (1972) Fruity (1974) Brand X Unorthodox Behaviour (1976) Moroccan Roll (1977) Livestock (1977) Product (1979) Do They Hurt? (1980) Bruce Dickinson Skunkworks (1996) Bunk Dogger First Offence (1978) Catherine Wheel Chrome (1993) Happy Days (1995) Like Cats and Dogs (compilation) (1996) Adam And Eve (1997) Wishville (2000) Caravan Cunning Stunts (1975) Cozy Powell Tilt (1981) The Cranberries Bury the Hatchet (1999) Beneath the Skin – Live in Paris DVD (2001) Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001) Stars: The Best of 1992–2002 (2002) The Cult Electric (1987) (credited on the picture sleeve as "Art Direction by Storm Thorgerson") Cochise Cochise (1970) Danny Wilson Bebop Moptop (1989) David Gilmour David Gilmour (1978) About Face (1984) David Gilmour in Concert DVD (2002) De Blanc De Blanc (1983) Def Leppard High 'n' Dry (1981) Deepest Blue Late September (2004) Disco Biscuits Planet Anthem (2010) Dream Theater Falling into Infinity (1997) "Once in a LIVEtime" (1998) "5 Years in a Livetime" (1998) The Dukes The Dukes (1979) Edgar Broughton Band Edgar Broughton Band (1971) Inside Out (1972) Oora (1973) A Bunch of 45s (1975) Parlez-Vous English (1979) Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (1971) ELO 2 (1973) On the Third Day (1973) The Light Shines On (1977) Ellis, Beggs, & Howard Homelands (1989) Ethnix Your Way (2001) 13 (2002) Europe Secret Society (2006) Fabulous Poodles Mirror Stars (1978) Flash Flash (1972) Out of Our Hands (1973) Foreigner 4 (Labels only) (1981) Fox Blue Hotel (1977) Gary Brooker No More Fear of Flying (1979) Godley & Creme Freeze Frame (1979) The Gods Genesis (1968) To Samuel a Son (1969) Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) A Trick of the Tail (1976) Wind & Wuthering (1976) ...And Then There Were Three... (1978) Gentlemen Without Weapons Transmissions (1988) The Greatest Show on Earth Horizons (1970) The Going's Easy (1970) The Greatest Show on Earth (1975) Greg Friedman Can't Talk Now (2013) Gun Gun Sight (1969) goodbyemotel If (2014) Goose Synrise (2012) Healing Sixes Enormosound (2002) Heavy Metal Kids Kitsch (1977) Helloween Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991) Herman Rarebell Nip in the Bud (1981) Humble Pie Town and Country (1969) Thunderbox (1974) Human Sexual Response Fig. 14 (1980) Ian Dury and The Blockheads Mr. Love Pants (1998) John Wetton Caught in the Crossfire (1980) Jon Anderson Olias of Sunhillow (1976) Kansas In the Spirit of Things (1988) Katia and Marielle Labèque Gladrags (1983) Kennedy Kreisler (1998) (Unused artwork) Korda Marshall Now We Breathe (2015) Led Zeppelin Presence (1976) The Song Remains the Same (1976) In Through the Out Door (1979) Coda (1982) Leisure Cruise Leisure Cruise (2014) Leo Sayer Living in a Fantasy (1980) Life Life After Death (1974) London Posse "London Posse" (single) (1987) Machineri Machineri (2012) The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) "Inertiatic ESP" single (2003) "Televators" single (2003) Frances the Mute (2005) "The Widow" single (2005) Amputechture (2006) (original artwork) Marvin, Welch & Farrar Marvin, Welch & Farrar (1971) Second Opinion (1971) Megadeth Rude Awakening DVD (2002) Mick Taylor Mick Taylor (1979) Midnight Flyer Midnight Flyer (1981) Mike Oldfield Earth Moving (1989) Earth Moving single (1989) Mike Rutherford Smallcreep's Day (1980) Moodswings Psychedelicatessen (1997) The Moody Blues Caught Live + 5 (1977) Muse Absolution (2003) "Hysteria" single (2003) "Butterflies and Hurricanes" single (2004) Black Holes and Revelations (2006) "Uprising" single (2009) Nazareth Rampant (1974) Hair of the Dog (1975) Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll (1976) Neil Ardley Harmony of the Spheres (1978) The Nice Five Bridges (1970) Elegy (1971) Autumn '67 – Spring '68 (1972) Nick Mason Fictitious Sports (1981) O.A.R. Stories of a Stranger (2005) The Offspring Splinter (2003) Paul McCartney Tug of War (1982) Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel (1977) ("Car") Peter Gabriel (1978) ("Scratch") Peter Gabriel (1980) ("Melt") Pendulum Immersion (2010) Phish Slip Stitch and Pass (1997) The Pineapple Thief Someone Here Is Missing (2010) Pink Floyd A Saucerful of Secrets (1968) More (1969) Ummagumma (1969) Atom Heart Mother (1970) Meddle (1971) Obscured by Clouds (1972) The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) A Nice Pair (1973) Wish You Were Here (1975) Animals (1977) A Collection of Great Dance Songs (1981) A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) Delicate Sound of Thunder (1988) Shine On (1992) The Division Bell (1994) P*U*L*S*E (1995), including the blinking LED light that was featured in early CD packaging. Relics re-release (1996) Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 (2000) Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd (2001) Oh, by the Way (2007) The Best of Pink Floyd: A Foot in the Door (2011) The Plea The Dreamers Stadium (2012)Stormsight.co.uk The Police "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" (single) (1980) Powderfinger Golden Rule (2009) Pretty Things Parachute (1970) Freeway Madness (1972) Silk Torpedo (1974) Savage Eye (1976) Cross Talk (1980) Program the Dead Program The Dead (2005) Quatermass Quatermass (1970) Queen Greatest Hits (1981) (Unused artwork) "Las Palabras de Amor (The Words of Love)" (single) (1982) Rainbow Difficult to Cure (1981)