Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Mr. Bass

This week I began thinking ahead to ways type can escape the print medium. I've always been very interested in animation as well as movies, and this past weekend I needed some time to give my brain some peace. I did so by watching one of my all-time favorite movies: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Now if you've seen the movie Rat Race, you've essentially seen Mad World. The thing that makes the 1963 film a million times better than the 2001 adaptation, is not only the mere fact that its from the early 60s, but because of the amazing title sequence done by Saul Bass.

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker. He is best known for designing intro title sequences for motion pictures, as well as film posters and an array of corporate logos. Over the course of forty years he worked with some of Hollywood's major directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese. He built a high reputation through his delicately animated paper cutouts which still influences countless designers in Hollywood and beyond.

Here are some examples of his best title sequences:


































Lastly, here's a few modern examples of films you may have seen with title sequences inspired
by Saul Bass:


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