ascender MAGA ZI N E
AN ATOMY OF A DESI GNER
ISSU E 0 2
l Bass u a S f o t Po r t r a i ars. (n.d.). Collections Osc
aul Bass was born on the 8th of May 1920 (Art of the Title, n.d.) in the Bronx, New York in a household of Eastern European Jewish immigrants. (Famous Graphic Designers, n.d.) He studied at the Art Students’ League as a teenager where he had the fortune of studying under György Kepes, a master of the functional Bauhaus aesthetic. (Bigman, 2012) He developed a unique, memorable style which he then brought to California. (Miller, 2017)
the film’s title sequence. As a result of this opportunity, Bass came to the realisation that title sequences rather than just being presented as static credits can enhance the overall watching experience for the audience through the implementation of the correct audio and visual sequence in order to set the mood and theme at the film’s opening. (Famous Graphic
Bass became a prominent graphic designer of the twentieth century when there was an increasing importance of graphic design. (Bigman, 2012) He mostly designed corporate logos and what he was best known for movie posters and picture title sequences.
After his initial debut work in Hollywood, Bass continued to work for several reputable production houses however, it was not until his title sequence for Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) that he became well-known and gained a reputation within the film industry. (Art of
Bass had a successful career over four decades even winning an Academy Award for his excellent graphic designing. He was a pioneer of the modern title sequence designing his most iconic being The Man with the Golden Arm, Psycho and North by Northwest. (Famous Graphic Designers, n.d.) Bass became notorious for his style of simple geometric shapes and their symbolism. Often there was a single prominent image that stood alone to deliver a powerful message. These shapes and type used were often handdrawn by Bass himself to create a casual appearance that is still packed with a sophisticated message. His ability to create powerful messages from basic shapes resulted in monumental designs. (Miller, 2017) Bass was also known to make use of geometric blocks of solid color (Illusion Scene 360, 2013) as well as bold, expressive colour palettes and negative space. (Kirkham, K. and Bass, J., 2016)
ASCENDER MAGAZINE
In 1954, Bass was offered a job by filmmaker Otto Preminger to design a poster for Carmen Jones. This turned out to be his big break as his work left an impression on Preminger who hired his expertise yet again to create
Designers, n.d.)
the Title, n.d.)
Bass had successfully revolutionalised the role of title credits in film by creating life into the graphics with his signature “kinetic type,” in which his letters would move across the screen frequently incoporating images. This made the title sequences part of the cinematic experience and a spectacle to be seen– so much so that curtains would now open for the titles whereas previously because the credits were considered to be unimportant they were simply project upon closed curtains. (Bigman, 2012) Towards the end of his career, Saul Bass began to work more closely with his wife, Elaine Makatura, and collaborated with her on many title designs and film work. From the mid 60s to the late 1980s the couple had moved away from creating main titles choosing to instead concentrate on their children and filmmaking. The couple did however, eventually return to title sequences for Martin Scorsese who urged them to do so. They created a number of title sequences for Scorsese including Casino, their last. (Art of the
Title, n.d.)
ANATOMY OF A MURDER This poster is one of the most iconic and is often argued to be his best. It is an example of a quintessential Bass poster. The work’s influences can be seen in a vaxriety of different element from Picasso in the chunky fors to Matisse in the lines. This poster is such an influential classic that it has even been recreated on the poster for Spike Lee’s “Clockers” (1995) and although the designer described it as a “salute” Bass’s views were different: “The convention is when anyone steals something, they call it an homage.” (Illusion Scene 360, 2013)
THE SHINING Unlike other posters this one isn’t one that seems traditionally “Bass” however, it is still present in some elements such as the single, bright yellow background colour. Bass made “The” twice as large as “Shining” in order to provide more balance and room for the stippled resonating face to be rendered in. It is said that Bass submitted 300 different designs before Stanley Kubrick settled on this final version. (Illusion Scene 360, 2013) SAINT JOAN This main focal point of this poster is the single symbol of the simple, broken figure – a Bass signature. This partial figure holds a broken sword and contrasts to the smooth, curved lettered title. The European influences from his training with Gyorgy Kepes, who worked with Laszlo Moholy-Nagy in Berlin, are quite apparent. (Illusion Scene 360, 2013) THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM This poster is another one of the most iconic, it broke a lot of traditions. Bass decided not to show the film’s star Frank Sinatra with headshots or scenes. Instead, he represented the film through an iconic image of the crooked arm, rugged san-serif type and geometric blocks of solid colour.
director Otto Preminger (Saul Bass, 1959)
director Stanley Kubrick (Saul Bass, 1980)
director Otto Preminger (Saul Bass, 1957)
director Otto Preminger (Saul Bass, 1955)
(Illusion Scene 360, 2013)
I LT U B S I E FA I L U R IT Y V I T A E R I N TO C ass B l u a S -
SAUL BASS’S WORK ASCENDER MAGAZINE
/
tion spira
REFERENCES
blo
.au/
.com
igns 9des
e-in eativ g/cr
k/9 s/ s-boo ttps:/ l-bas oster /sau d from h r -p e c i n n co esig Retrieve . s-20-i m/d . er-06 l-bas s.jpg ass tle.co og post] s u i t a a e s b h -post / / t l s -b s e f l i e w o u b v t g e a e 83 s-mo ima s.org/s .com/n w.ar sign [W t 6974 l-bas r org/ /ww ass-1 /11/sau ttp:/ aphic de cars. cdesigne itsnicetha s h -b l o . u m s gr on fro r-sa s/2013 phi /www. .jpg / llecti igne sgra nged d eved / d rs-08 6.gif c-des t/uploa ://co w.famou m https: Retri who cha i p . h t s t p s h ter-0 ie-poste r-designe n a a o s r e w r n B t m o f -g a w l n o f -p v r / d u o m f e e -o / o e a i -c : v e v e d S v l p p -m -e e h t e o . fi i ass ass s: T ur y/ s-m pro .d.) m/w triev from ht rs. Retr aul-b aul-b l-bas om/ t l Bas 0.co e le. (n t. Re /sau 13/11/s osters-s tco.c scene36 e Tit 12). Sau r-of-a-cen Por trai Retrieved ilm Post 1 h h 1 t g / f u -p . 2013 loads/20 ist-movie Ar t o , A . (20 -designe aul Bass ul Bass. t Iconic F w.tho /illusion l ads/ /ww / a ic an .S os uplo ntent/up t-minima tps:/ om http: / t Bigm ss-graph rs. (n.d.) (n.d.). S Bass’ M t h n a l a rom ved fr onte /wp-co -cooles rs. u f c -b l e s -c a u d n p S O a e g e s s ). si he /w om riev e]. Reti ction 2016 60.c .com ic De 7-of-t . Ret Colle s Graph Bass, J. ( e360 n.scene3 13/08/1 Bass rm [Imag n l e u c u a s 0 o S A nd ion. ://illusio m.au/2 Fam K. a gner Golden /illus am, Desi e ttp:/ from http modo.co h Kirkh -300816 Graphic with th m iz d fro ) ct an ww.g ved rieve extra E. (2017 ). The M Retie ge]. Ret ttps://w . ] , 5 r e 5 e h g l a ma Mil ass. (19 [Im om an [I ed fr rder B nt Jo of a Mu . Retriev i Saul a S 7). atomy ge] (195 [Ima gif ass. 959). An Shining B l u Sa he . (1 0). T Bass Saul ass. (198 B Saul