Class notes- Thursday 14th January

Saul Bass (1920-1996)

Who was he?

• An American graphic designer who became famous for his work in film.
• He studied design at Art Students League in Manhattan.
• Born in New York on May 8th 1920.

He had a very recognisable style which consisted of simple and generic shapes. These were strategically used to convey the genre of the film.

He started his career by designing posters with his ability of being able to capture the mood of a film by using simple images and shapes.

Often, these shapes used were hand drawn by Bass in order to create a more casual appearance. This was also usually accompanied by a sophisticated soundtrack.

Throughout his career he designed over 60 title sequences with his most famous including North by Northwest, Vertigo and Psycho.

He worked alongside Alfred Hitchcock a lot in his career with a good example being Vertigo.

His title sequences revolutionised the style in which we see them these days.