Storm Thorgerson and Hipgnosis designed that prism — and it was more accidental than you'd think.

Yes. Storm Thorgerson of the design group Hipgnosis created the cover, and the inspiration came from a simple physics diagram.

Thorgerson said the band wanted something clean and iconic — no photos of the band, no elaborate scene. He saw a prism splitting white light in a book and thought, “That’s it.” The rainbow represented the band’s themes: the spectrum of human experience, from birth to death, greed, and madness. No deep philosophy, just a visual that worked.

The cover is famous precisely because it doesn’t need explanation. It’s a prism, it’s obvious, and it’s perfect.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most enduring.