Graphic design firm Pentagram has created a limited-edition box set marking the 50th anniversary of legendary Pink Floyd album “Dark Side of the Moonâ€.
After its original release on March 1, 1973, the album went on to become one of the best-selling records of all time, while also becoming an instantly recognizable artwork in its own right. Now, decades later, a remastered version has been released on CD and vinyl – and in order to give them a fitting home, Pentagram has designed a luxury box set that also includes a hardback book filled with old photographs.
Pentagram
Pentagram
Pentagram
Pentagram
Pentagram
Pentagram partners Harry Pearce and Jon Marshall were brought on board when the sleeve’s original designers, Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell of legendary design collective Hipgnosis, were looking for something “special†to celebrate the record’s anniversary.
“The familiar triangular prism image had run its course over five decades and it was now time to reinvent,†Powell said, in reference to the symbol they had originally designed. “I turned to Harry Pearce and Jon Marshall at Pentagram with a brief to create a box, air lock tight and firm, to hold all the albums, memorabilia, and Blu Rays, however, the design had to hark back to something of the original ideaâ€, he adds.
Pentagram
The shape of the prism led the duo to think about Ancient Egyptian pyramids, and beyond that, the many layers within them that conceal key moments in history. “Picking up on the Hipgnosis theme of ancient Egypt and Pyramids I thought about the wonderful sense of discovery that’s built into the idea of a nested sarcophagus,†Pearce says. “The layers and layers reveal memorabilia, and at the center the original ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ vinyl.â€
In practice, their concept translated to a series of nesting boxes – each of which has been crafted from different materials. A color palette of black and gold was selected – with the outer box being entirely black, and gold elements introduced as you edge closer to the fully gold box in the middle, which contains the original album and the new live album.
“It’s a work of art,†Powell concludes.
The Dark Side Of The Moon 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set is available to pre-order now, and is priced at £230 (approximately $272 USD). Take a closer look above, and for more design – check out key projects by the just-announced Pritzker Prize winner David Chipperfield.
