Unknown Pleasures

This is the cover for Joy Division's album Unknown Pleasures. It was designed by my favourite graphic designer Peter Saville. I have always loved this design from when I first saw the cd on the stands at a shop, then of course I bought it. The image originally comes from an edition of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, but the image was originally black on a white background. It represents 100 pulses from the first pulsar discovered, which is often referred to in the context of the album. Without knowing about the  true origins of the design it seems to have movement in the line which seems to represent sound in some sort of "beat" process which I think is a good way to incorporate sound into a visual artwork. I was attracted to the piece because at the time I was looking to purchase a Joy Division album and this was the one that stood out to me the most so I had to but it being a big fan of the band as what I am. 

I believe the design is of very high quality due to the representation of sound. It seems to have formed some form of trademark with Joy Division as many forms of merchandise have been using this design. I think this is one of Peter Saville's best pieces of work.