The Origin of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures Album Cover Art
For Scientific American, Jen Christiansen tracks down where the iconic image on the cover of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures came from.
Pop Culture Pulsar: Origin Story of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures Album Cover [Video]
Sure, I was familiar with the graphic—and I’m not alone. Drop this image (right) on someone’s desk and chances are they’ll reflexively blurt, “Joy Division.” The band’s 1979 Unknown Pleasures album cover leaned entirely on a small mysterious data display, printed in white on black.