Saul Bass
Written By: jonny.gotham
Date: May 01, 2009
Comments: 0
Saul Bass was an influential graphic designer, and to a lesser–known degree, filmmaker, whose work extended from 1950’s up through the 90’s. While I won’t attempt to recapture his life and achievements here (as it could never do it justice), I can tell you about my own experience when I came across Bass’s work, and the fascination that ensued.
“Design is thinking made visual.”
To be honest, I had not known much about Saul Bass prior to research I had done at the tail’end of 2002, and even then, it was through very roundabout means. You see, on Christmas of 2002, the movie Catch Me If You Can was released, and even though the movie was good, I was most impressed by its opening title sequence. The style was distinctly retro and reminiscent of what I had seen in the old Hitchcock movie posters, but it was was clearly an homage to something greater.
Kuntzel + Deygas created the films opening sequence with a clear callback to the work of Saul Bass during the 50’s and 60’s — famous posters like that of Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Anatomy of a Murder. It was upon researching this precise opening sequence that led me to the wealth of Bass’s work, his iconic style during this period, as well as later work that would be symbols of American industry.
Bass had created AT&T’s famous globe logo, as well as logos for the likes of Continental and United Airlines, Girl Scouts of America, Geffen Records, United Way, and many more. While these had become staples of American society during that period, my interest remained in his work with cinema. It was the work that had stood the greatest test of time for me, as several movies would pay their respects decades later — most recently being the opening sequence for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and poster for Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.
Bass’s style distilled ideas down to their purest elements, representing the heart of things with simple shapes and forms, and placed them with such a keen understanding of composition and balance that it had impact whether it was static or animated. It was meticulous and precise, and quite simply… beautiful.
“My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and the prime underlying core of the film’s story, to express the story in some metaphorical way. I saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it.”
To this day, many designers see Saul Bass as a major influence or inspiration. His posters adorn the walls of connoisseurs and college students alike. He will continue to forever be the “Master of the Title Sequence,” as it can be argued that Bass’s work was just as memorable as the films they preceded. To me, he will always be a man who was just amazing at his craft. Dedicated to it, but through his work I like to think that he took immense joy in it all, unlike the present day connotation of dedication that revives imagery of someone slaving away at something in more of an “end justify the means” kind of way.
Saul Bass passed away on April 25, 1996, but was born on May 8, 1920, coming up in just a few short days. Myself, and what I am sure will be many generations of designers that come after me, will always want to thank him for his work and contribution to the field. If you have the time, I’ve listed a few sites that have more information on his life and work — they’re an interesting read if not fun to look at and watch. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I have.
- + Saul Bass on Wikipedia
- + Saul Bass on the Web
- + Makefive’s collection of Saul Bass Movie Titles
- + Movie Posters by Saul Bass