Saul Bass (1920-1996) was an iconic graphic designer. Bass created
some of the most iconic movie title sequences and movie poster art; his poster
art intrigues me, because they capture the essence of the movie with the use of
iconography, color, and typography. Bass most famous work has been collaborating
with Alfred Hitchcock; his most popular are ‘Vertigo’ and ‘North by Northwest’ movie
poster art. He created the opening sequence for ‘North by Northwest’ and ‘Psycho’
as well as many others. Another iconic piece of movie art he created includes ‘Westside
Story’.
Here are his opening sequences for 'North by Northwest' and 'Psycho
(I am having technical difficulties trying to post the videos.
Hopefully the links work, Sorry.)
Bass created ‘The Shinning’ poster, it’s successful because
it gives off a creepy-intense feel with the brightness of the yellow. The face inside the typography is unsettling. Bass
first created drafts that Stanley Kubrick (the director) critiqued. It’s amusing
to see him work in his draft stages, also a rare sight to see.
Saul Bass' designs aren't exactly my ideal type (although I don't think I have a set specific taste), but they are certainly interesting. I do appreciate the composition and thought put into each of the movie posters. The 'Westside Story' poster especially with the iconography that I assume gives a little preview as to what the movie is going to be about. I also liked to see the process work/drafts for 'The Shining', and with the final product as you described with the bright yellow background color and the sort of fuzzy figure incorporated within 'The' text is quite unsettling and it works well for the horror genre. I also watched the Psycho sequence and that gave me some chills, mainly because I think the combination of the grayish lines moving about and the 'psychedelic' changing typography with the music playing really helped set out the mood for it.
ReplyDeleteSaul Bass is definitely a designer I can appreciate. He has done so many great works it is hard to know where to start. But I must say I really like his work that showcases silhouettes. You didn't show too many examples here but if you look up his work just in google images, you can see what I mean. His work looks so simplistic and detailed at the same time, which is what I probably admire the most and what I try to execute in some of the work I do.
ReplyDeleteSaul Bass has a very distinct style in his designs because he utilizes so much white space with bold colors. I always find myself struggling with being bold enough to use bright colors and create compositions that are very simple but successful, so I think his work is really inspiring to look at. His designs and illustrations are always simplified in a way that almost makes them look like icons, but in an abstract form.
ReplyDeleteI love Saul Bass for his talent in corporate identity design. His name became embedded in my mind after I watched his pitch video for Bell (Now AT&T). His concept was clear and simple, yet ahead of its time. I often wonder if Saul Bass or Paul Rand is alive today what brilliance would they have come up with.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKu2de0yCJI