Saul Bass: The Genius Of Movie Poster Design
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"Design is thinking made visual", said Saul Bass, the graphic designer and film-maker. Bass redefined the movie poster from the bland images of montage images of actors that had been the standard of design before, to stunning stripped down pieces of modern art. His designs featured minimal colour palettes, bold stylised design, symbolic imagery, and a typography that has become immediately recognisable as being the work of Bass.
Over his career Bass often worked closely with his wife Elaine, as they designed opening title sequences as well as posters, and even storyboards for some of the most famous film-makers in Hollywood. He worked with directors that include Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Creating iconic design, for many movies that would go on to become iconic in their own right. Among the most well known title sequences he worked on are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, which he used for the movie's poster design. For Hitchcock he designed the title sequence, with the credits racing up and down the screen, to what eventually becomes a high-angle shot of a skyscraper in North by Northwest. He also designed stunning visuals of the disjointed text that races together and apart again at the beginning of Psycho. |
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In 1974 Bass directed the visually breathtaking sci-fi film Phase IV, and was the uncredited title designer for the iconic opening titles of 1979's Alien. But it is his graphic design work for movie posters that he is most renowned for today, inspiring a whole generation of poster designers and graphic artists. Many of the neo-retro re-imaginings of posters for cult classics, take Bass's minimalism as their inspiration. Paying homage to his unique aesthetic.
Bass designed dozens of posters, title sequences and corporate logos over a career that spanned some 40 years. Here I've selected a dozen of my personal favourites, from his movie poster designs, that for me sum-up his unique visual style, that has become so recognisable today. |
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Directed by Otto Preminger (1959)
Directed by Otto Preminger (1955)
Directed by Otto Preminger (1957)
Directed by Otto Preminger (1963)
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Directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1958)
Directed by John Frankenheimer (1968)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick (1960)
Directed by Otto Preminger (1965)
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Directed by Otto Preminger (1979)
Directed by John Frankenheimer (1966)
Directed by Otto Preminger (1971)
Directed by John Sturges (1960)
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