Saul Bass (1920-1996) was an American graphic designer who became famous for his work in film and classic logo design.

About Saul Bass...

He is best known for his use of simple, geometric shapes and their symbolism. Often, a single dominant image stands alone to deliver a powerful message.

Early Career

• Born on May 8, 1920, in New York City.

• He studied Design at the Art Students League in Manhattan.

• After apprenticeships with Manhattan design firms, Bass worked as a freelance graphic designer.

Bass’s posters had an uncanny ability to capture the mood of a film with simple shapes and images. This was his preferred method as opposed to using a boring photograph of a film star.

These shapes, as well as type, were often hand drawn by Bass to create a casual appearance, always packed with a sophisticated message. Used to great effect in some of his most well known film posters.

All of Bass's posters had a distinctive style

His work spanned five decades and inspired numerous other designers.

He revolutionized the way that people viewed title credit sequences by using the time not just to display the information but give a short visual metaphor or story that intrigued the viewer. Often it was a synopsis or reference to the movie itself.

Analysis of Saul Bass’ Title Sequences...

Watch Title Sequence

The Man with the Golden Arm

Bass’ titles for the film feature spiny, cut-out projectiles, vaguely redolent of veins and syringes, that manages to be disconcerting despite the accompaniment of Elmer Bernstein’s rather brassy jazz score. The lines proliferate and jab at awkward, unsettling angles with respect to the titles. And the title of the film is seemingly penned in by four of these lines, suggesting the many forces hemming in Sinatra’s Frankie from all sides. Finally, privileging Preminger’s credit, the titular “golden arm” (which actually refers to Frankie’s prowess as a card dealer and not the location of his track-marks) appears as a bent and tortured appendage, reaching out for either redemption or a fix.

Watch Title Sequence

West Side Story• Vibrant orange fills the entire screen. Specifically placed

vertical bars strew the composition—an abstract form, yet strangely representative. The static image is in unison with the varied overture; as the “mood” of the score changes the colour follows suit. The kaleidoscope culminates in a blue frame, and pulls backward to reveal the film title below. The image segues to an aerial shot of Manhattan, and the source of the vertical pattern is confirmed.

• This simplistic sequence is an exemplary use of colour, and is complementary to the accompanying overture. Perhaps more so than any other example in Bass’ catalogue, this is a wholly dependent exercise. Likewise, Leonard Bernstein’s score is complemented invaluably by the visual treatment. In unison, the visual and aural elements import the title of the film with resounding significance—the abstract bars, even, resemble a perforated music roll.

What Saul Bass thought about design...

“I want everything we do to be beautiful. I don’t give a damn whether the client understands that that’s worth anything, or that the client thinks it’s worth anything, or whether it is worth anything. It’s worth it to me. It’s the way I want to live my life. I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares. “—Saul Bass

Steven Spielberg’s 2002 Catch Me If You Can, created by Florence Deygas & Olivier Kuntzel.

Saul Bass’ work influenced generations of graphic designers to follow and transform the ordinary movie title sequence into an art form in itself.

Various film title sequences and movie posters

In 1958, Saul Bass worked once more with Otto Preminger for Anatomy of a Murder. I think his deconstructive technique works especially well the dead body, and is a clever play of the “anatomy” part of the film’s title.

The design influence for the Anatomy of a Murder poster is evident in the poster for Clockers (Spike Lee, 1995). This was not put together by Bass.

Most recently, a homage to Saul Bass in this poster for Precious (Lee Daniels, 2009).

Thanks for watching

Researching for a Presentation:•Make a powerpoint/prezi as this can go on your blogs.•Divide research areas between group members.•DON'T JUST COPY AND PASTE - you need to PRESENT your findings to the class, not just read them off the board.

Areas to research & present:•Brief biography of the designer - how and why they came to work in title design, other areas worked in the industry etc. •Catalogue of work •Close analysis of two title sequences with particular attention paid to the use of the titles themselves (typography, how and when they appear, order) •Comment from designer about at least one of their own titles and about what they consider to be the importance of the title sequence.

•Useful websites to get you started:•www.artofthetitle.com•www.watchthetitles.com

• Title sequence designers to choose from:

Richard Morrison

Danny Yount

Karin Fong

Paul Donnellon

Bob Kurtz

Homework

Write a post summarising today’s lesson on Saul Bass and analyse at least one OTHER of his titles, considering its use of his trademark style.