Saul Bass Essay

As a designer Saul Bass set a new standard for graphics in the film industry. Through his career he participated in many areas of motion graphics and film making, however he was known best for two things. Movie titles and posters because something new and magical because of him. He reinvented the main title in movie sequences and his unique style made his movie posters became one of the most recognizable in the industry. His new approach for both of theses were what created his legacy.

The modern and clean style that Saul Bass brought to movie posters was unlike anything that was being done in the movie industry at the time. Before Saul bass movie posters looked the same as a average news paper ad and lacked clarity. He designed His first movie poster in 1954 for Otto Premingers, Carmen Jones. His distinctive style included bright solid backgrounds overlaid with a illustration and large type. Some of his most famous posters include Vertigo, The Man with a Golden Arm, and The Anatomy of
He took on the role of director, producer and even helped with the storyboarding process. “During his 40-year career Bass worked for some of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, and Martin Scorsese.” (Art of the Title) However, the part of the movie he was most known for was the title sequence of the movie. The modern movie title sets up the story and mood of the movie as well as create a initial interest in the move for the audience, this was something that came from Saul Bass’s work. Previous to his debut in the film industry the introduction to a movie included a screen of type that rolled over the screen with no relation or set up for the film. The title sequence for the 1998 Psycho created a dynamic intro with line work that seemed to come from unpredictably from up and down, and music that furthers the dramatic mood for the