Design Philosophy :: Use of Color :: Typography :: Impact :: One Design
"Design is thinking made visual."
:: Design PhilosophySaul Bass had a philosophy that can be seen in his body of work. “He was the first to seize on the potential storytelling power of the opening and closing credits of a movie” (*1). "He invented the idea of titling movies... that added something in a highly symbolic and evocative way." (*2) Bass was an opportunist who used graphic art to communicate. Bass himself said: “My initial thought about what a title can do was to set the mood and prime underlying core of the film’s story, to express the story in some metaphorical way.” (*1)Movies are sometimes called a director’s medium. The director has the most impact on the audience’s experience of a movie. Bass collaborated on many famous films, and had to listen to and understand the director’s ideas and vision. He had to be attentive to the essence of that vision. Keen listening may be a skill, but many collaborators fail to listen well. I think Saul Bass must have had a cooperative spirit. Saul Bass must have seen synthesis and convergence all around. Jim Supanick wrote: "I cannot help but marvel at Bass's ability to tread the ground that separates advertising and what I think of as art..." (*3). Indeed, at the time Bass started in design, well before the digital era, graphic art was still in its infancy. Expectations were still being defined and Bass helped do that. For example, he was the first to combine media such as photographs, typography and graphic elements. (*3) He must have had a pioneering spirit in the face of questions and scrutiny. Getting information about Bass's philosophy is not easy, and one has to push beyond the superlatives and comments about his work. Bass's vision was minimalist and certainly influenced by his Bauhaus-trained teachers. His thinking had a clarity that made graphic designs stark and efficient. Saul Bass was a master communicator. His working philosophy was opportunism mixed with cooperation and courage.
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:: Use of ColorAll color is relative. Different viewers can accept and interpret colors in different ways despite generalizations that can well be made. Saul Bass, and those coming from the Bauhaus school, would appreciate these facts. He wanted to achieve a singular expression for each work he did. Saul Bass simplified his palette because, the more colors he used, the viewers might interpret something other than Saul's message.Is color needed at all? I am sure he asked this fundamental question. I think that Bass used colors conservatively, exploiting 'temperature' (see the example below), contrast (his AT&T logo) and sociology (the 'dangerous' red in the Vertigo poster). I imagine that such a purposeful designer wanted to find the lowest common denominator and reach the widest possible audience. His graphic designs seem unadorned and accessible. Yet, I do not think he favored form over color. I do think his use of color fits into his general, minimalist philosophy.
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:: TypographyThe Hitchcock font (...by Matt Terich, based on Bass's work. Download!) is a nervous font, which seems uncertain, mysterious and provocative. The relatively different stroke lengths, thicknesses and bulk of the letters look varied and suspicious. The font does not sit flush on the horizontal line and that gives the impression of instability. The same letter changes in different sentences because there are several versions of each letter! Saul Bass is exploiting our expectations of uniformity. It seems like his imagination drives the shape of the letters. There is a lot of variation and, seemingly, “freedom”, but Bass is stimulating us to get an expected response. His design sensibilities show definite empathy and understanding of people.Bass saw the opportunity to communicate something meaningful about the film. This font is the perfect match for the Vertigo movie poster. It is unstable and asymmetric and suits the feelings of the protagonist; namely, dizziness and doubt.
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:: ImpactSaul Bass brought a trained designer’s sensibilities to everything he did. His work ranged from logos to animation to movie-title sequences, posters and direction as well. He was Alfred Hitchcock’s “visual consultant” on the film Psycho, and a collaborator in several other movies. His genius even extended to font design. Above all, he was a master of communication.The audience always "hit the ground running" after Bass movie credits. I think his treatment of the opening credits of a film 'still influences many directors'. (*1, 5) Martin Scorcese said that Bass's titles are "not simply unimaginative identification tags". Bass's credit sequences foretold the story. The mise-en-scene of motion pictures using graphic design principles started before Saul Bass, but he called more attention to it. His work in opening credits, and movie posters as well, is usually thought of as seminal, and highly influential. One effusive Web site (*6) went as far as to credit Bass with some of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous movie scenes. What is beyond dispute is that Bass's work in animation was extensive and original. Bass blurred definitions of graphic design. He was a visual communicator in any context as the quote at the top attests. His out-of-the-box thinking has influenced many people involved in design communication fields, both static and moving. Lou Dorfsman (*7) said that Bass's work remains relevant because "his ideas and imagery appeal as much to the emotions as they do to the intellect". So, Bass reinforces the idea of design as communication as well as thinking. Bass makes us mindful to be sensitive and evocative with designs. It took me thirty minutes just to make his left eye form a diamond with the Ds at the top of this page. Bass! I even know what you were thinking. Who is Lou Dorfsman?! I put that question in your mind. By design!
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:: One Design
You can see many examples of Saul Bass's work on the Web. We have all seen detailed analyses of his work (like here!), such as his Vertigo poster (here, too!). Right-click your mouse on the following links to see Bass's work in a new window. Those are good sites, but the best one is http://www.saulbass.net/.Saul Bass's originality is often written about, but his work can be sometimes derivative... of his own. Is that possible? People can look at some design, and guess it is from Bass. That is proof that he had developed a style and returned to it. I have chosen to look at one variation of the poster for The Man with the Golden Arm. I have never seen this movie, so I tried to learn about it from this image before checking at IMBD.com. First, the design is simple, but it is still engaging and informative... Bass hallmarks. The image is scary to me. The colors are cold and dark. Is the hand reaching for help or receding helplessly into darkness. The hand looks small and powerless in contrast to the broad solid bars. Someone seems in trouble and is literally walled in. Beyond any visual analysis, Bass himself would have preferred to know that I took away this message from the poster. Wow! Here is one IMDB summary: "Frankie Machine is a skilled card dealer and one-time heroin addict. When he returns home from jail, he struggles to find a new livelihood and to avoid slipping back into addiction." He really was walled up in jail. He may recede into addiction. I did not understand 'golden" but now I know he was a skilled card dealer. Maybe I should have guessed! Certainly, the character was in trouble just like the poster. Now, I have a big head start in appreciating the movie.
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:: References/ Bibliography
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