Led Zeppelin ‎– Presence

The design for this album sleeve was apparently largely the work of the late, great Peter Christopherson. In a recent obituary broadcast on BBC, Hipgnosis co-owner Aubrey Powell reflects on how this sleeve was a perfect match of Christopherson's dark vibe with an effective design that worked well for the music. He states that it was Peter's idea specifically to superimpose the obelisks onto the photographs rather than have them as actual props while the photos were being taken.

The black obelisk in the jacket images supposedly represents the powerful force and presence that surrounded Led Zeppelin. The jacket's designer (Hipgnosis) created a series of ten prints (taken right out of 1950s Life magazines), mostly involving conservative-looking families, interrupted by the “presence” in the form of the black obelisk called The Object. Swan Song actually copyrighted The Object in 1976. The promotion for the album centered around it; Swan Song sent out a limited edition of 1,000 three-dimensional models of it. Today those originals routinely sell for over $1,000.