Editing Hugh Syme (section)

==Career==
Syme has been responsible for all of Rush's album cover art since 1975's ''[[Caress of Steel]]'' and is the creator of Rush's famous Starman logo. In 1983, he told [[Jeffrey Morgan (writer)|Jeffrey Morgan]] that he never imagined the band would use it as their main logo.<ref>Morgan, Jeffrey. CREEM Magazine, 1983.</ref> Syme also plays piano on the album ''Thrilling Women,'' which Morgan recorded with [[Dean Motter]].<ref>[http://bongobeat.com/JefMo_ThrWo.php ''Thrilling Women: The Lost Air Pirates Sessions – Toronto: 1978 – 1980''<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

His client base includes major record companies such as [[Geffen Records]], [[EMI Records]], [[Mercury Records]], [[RCA Records]], [[Capitol Records]], [[Sony Music]], [[Atlantic Records]], [[Warner Records]], and [[A&M Records]].<ref name="hughsyme1">{{cite web |url=http://www.hughsyme.com/test.html |title=Hugh Syme |publisher=Hugh Syme |access-date=2014-07-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730192150/http://www.hughsyme.com/test.html |archive-date=2014-07-30 }}</ref>

[[Iron Maiden]] fans remember him best as the designer of ''[[The X Factor (album)|The X Factor]]'' cover, which depicts the band's mascot [[Eddie (Iron Maiden)|Eddie]] in a dissection. It is noted for its gritty realism. While all previous Maiden albums featured oil paintings, the ''X Factor'' Eddie was a puppet with some digital enhancements to improve its appearance. In some countries, the cover was deemed so gruesome that a less graphic alternative was offered (the alternative cover is actually the back of the original CD booklet).

[[Def Leppard]]'s ''[[Retro Active]]'' album cover, which he co-designed with Nels Israelson, features a woman sitting at a dressing table, gazing into a mirror. From another perspective, the image takes the form of a skull (a type of vanitas art), with the woman's head forming the left eye socket and her reflected head in the mirror creating the right eye socket. The mirror itself shapes the skull, while the accessories on the dressing table form the nose, nostrils, and teeth. This design was inspired by [[Charles Allan Gilbert]]'s most famous work, ''All Is Vanity'' (1892).

Other bands for which Syme has created artwork include [[Megadeth]], [[Saga (band)|Saga]], [[Styx (band)|Styx]], [[Altered State (band)|Altered State]], [[Fates Warning]], [[Whitesnake]], [[Queensrÿche]], [[Aerosmith]], and [[Dream Theater]].