I may not have owned The Joy of Sex as a kid - I don't know why my parents never bought it for me - but I did have a huge, coffee table book full of spaceship art. I never knew the names of the artists, but I was inspired by their designs; brightly coloured, impossible, ships depicted against neon skies, and surreal, alien ruins.
There was something distinctly empty about the images; something which No Man's Sky nails perfectly. Take a look at this gallery, and see what I mean.
"Got any plans for the weekend?"
"I thought I might go and visit some spheres."
"Same."
The object just in front of him reminded me of Brian the snail from The Magic Roundabout.
Arguably, the covers of many Yes albums were better than the albums themselves.