Saul Bass was a graphic designer and film maker who was best known for his creative title sequences and film posters.
Bass' career provided many adventures of the 40 year span; he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest film makers and became well-known in the film industry after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger’s "The Man" with the Golden Arm in 1955. He worked for people like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder and Martin Scorsese throughout his career. |
Bass was also responsible for the design work for the title sequences of Hitchcock's North by Northwest where the credits racing up and down and forms a high-angle shot of a skyscraper, and
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho of the disjointed text that races together and apart.
Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho of the disjointed text that races together and apart.
Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm in 1955.
Alfred Hitchcock North by Northwest 1959
Hitchcock's Psycho 1960
Bass was also able to design some of the most iconic corporate logos in North America. He made the original AT&T “bell” logo in 1969, as well as their later “globe” logo in 1983 - he created the face of one of the biggest corporate companies in America. Bass' work has become some of the most recognised work of the era.
In the year 1955, Elaine Makatura came to work with Saul Bass. After the opening title sequence to Spartacus in 1960 that Elaine directed and produced the two got married. Much Bass' work thereafter was made in close collaboration with Elaine - from then on they worked together. After the birth of their children, Jennifer in 1964 and Jeffrey in 1967, the Basses concentrated on their family, short films, and title sequences; the big projects were no longer a focus of Bass' career.
Promotional films was the pair's first joint venture into short filmmaking for pavilions at the 1964 World’s Fair, In 1968, they made the short film "Why Man Creates" which won the pair an Oscar.
Towards the end of Bass' career, he was rediscovered by James L. Brooks and Martin Scorsese. The two urged the Basses to return to main title design. For Scorsese, they created title sequences for Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence, and Casino, their last title sequence.
Promotional films was the pair's first joint venture into short filmmaking for pavilions at the 1964 World’s Fair, In 1968, they made the short film "Why Man Creates" which won the pair an Oscar.
Towards the end of Bass' career, he was rediscovered by James L. Brooks and Martin Scorsese. The two urged the Basses to return to main title design. For Scorsese, they created title sequences for Goodfellas, Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence, and Casino, their last title sequence.