SAUL BASS
1920-1996
On the 8th of May 1920, Saul Bass was born in the Brinx district of New York and he would go on to be one of the most influential and well known graphic designers and titles designers not of the 20th century but of all time. Staying in New York, Saul Bass studied at the Art Students' Leauge in Manhattan from the 14th of July, 1936 and two years later on 22nd of Feburary 1938 became an assistant in the department of art in the New York city based institution, Warner Brothers.
On the 9th of August 1954, Saul Bass was given the responsibility of doing his first title sequence for Preminger's Carmen Jones. The director names Otto Preminger had commissioned Saul Bass to create the main movie poster for the film in which he had impressed his employer. Bass was then asked by Otto Preminger to take on the opening title sequence for the film also at the age of 34. Preminger had taken a liking to Bass and a year later on March 27th 1955, Bass was commissioned to do Otto's, "The Man With The Golden Arm" in which Bass became recognised and established himself within the film advertising industry at 35.
Once establishing himself within the film advertisement industry, Saul Bass, on October 25th 1958, completed the titles for Virtigio, the great Alfred Hitchcock's movie. The opening sequence in which Bass created dizzying sensations which resembles the film by using a swirling and spiralling motif in which he aimed to suit the feeling of the film within the opening title sequences in which he was commissioned to make, this therefore enabled Saul Bass to captivate all audiences from the very first second of his work which is the very first second in which the audience see also. Until Saul Bass, audiences watched credits upon the screen without ambience and atmosphere but Bass revolutionised the opening titles sequence and therefore creating, as quoted, "a visual feast" in which the audience can indulge in.
In 1959, May the 5th, Bass had done the opening credits to both Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" in which Bass had somewhat devised sequences for the latter film before cameras began to film the footage and therefore showing the belief and authority in which Preminger placed upon Bass to base elements of the film upon.
The final collaboration between both Saul Bass and Alfred Hitchcock, the third in total, was for the 1960 classic, Psycho in which like Preminger trust was placed in Bass as "pictorial editor" showing the artistic eye in which the individual has as well as the trust given by such directors as Hitchcock. Bass also became an advisor on the film, coming up with artistic ideas for the main sequences within the movie including the shower scene in which the victim is stabbed across 40 shots. In this year, Saul Bass created the opening title sequence for Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus".
In 1959, May the 5th, Bass had done the opening credits to both Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" in which Bass had somewhat devised sequences for the latter film before cameras began to film the footage and therefore showing the belief and authority in which Preminger placed upon Bass to base elements of the film upon.
The final collaboration between both Saul Bass and Alfred Hitchcock, the third in total, was for the 1960 classic, Psycho in which like Preminger trust was placed in Bass as "pictorial editor" showing the artistic eye in which the individual has as well as the trust given by such directors as Hitchcock. Bass also became an advisor on the film, coming up with artistic ideas for the main sequences within the movie including the shower scene in which the victim is stabbed across 40 shots. In this year, Saul Bass created the opening title sequence for Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus".
In late 1962, and after knowing his artistic eye not only in opening title sequences but critical acting sequences also, Saul Bass directs his first short film named " Apples and Oranges" as well as marrying to a lady named Elaine Makatura. In 1968, not only does Bass design the bell system's corporate identity but he also wins an Oscar for another of his short films named, "Why Man Create". Five years later and Saul Bass designs United Airlines corporate identity and a year after this, the graphic and title designer directed his first feature film named "Phase IV" in which war is waged on desert inhabitants by a collective intelligence made up of desert ants. In 1980, Saul Bass again collaborated with Stanley Kubrick to design the movie poster for "The Shining" as well as the design of Minolta's corporate identity. 10 years later in 1990, Bass created the titles for "GoodFellas", directed by Martin Scorsese. Continuing this relationship with Scorsese, 1991 lead Bass to do the opening title sequence for "Cape Fear" as well as the poster for the 63rd Academy Awards. within the opening title sequence of "Cape Fear", Saul created something evocative of previous works and in addition, taken from the John Frankenheimer classic "Seconds" was a distorted face in the appearance of footage within the sequence, something previously barely tapped into.
In 1993, Saul Bass not only continued his professional relationship with Scorsese but he latched in with one of today biggest directors, Stephen Spielberg. The existing relationship with Scorsese lead to Bass being commissioned to do the titles for "The Age of Innocence" and with Spielberg the posters for the all time great, Schindlers list. The relationship with Scorsese continued on into 1995 in which Bass created the title designs for Casino. This sequence includes fiery transitions into Vegas casinos as well as illumination to create a mini story within the sequence opener. Finally, on the 25th April 1996, Saul Bass the great title and graphic designer died at the age 75 in the US city of Los Angeles.
The media great left the world with the simple but highly effective quote that states, "Design is thinking made visual"