The Bauhaus & Saul Bass

By Henry Westray & Kate Tyrer

Modernism
A style or movement in the arts that aims to depart significantly
from classical and traditional forms.
Characterized by a deliberate rejection of the styles of the past;
emphasizing instead innovation and experimentation in forms,
materials and techniques in order to create artworks that better
reflected modern society (tate.org)

The Bauhaus in Dessau designed by the German architect

Walter Gropius. It ran from 1919 to 1933.
It was crated thanks to the anxieties of the 19 th century on
the coldness of manufacturing. The hope to bring together

Johannes Itten

Paul Klee

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy

World War and the loss of design

Due to the world war effort, the progression of design
was put on hold.
The Bauhaus would have lost artistic creativity due to
the control of art and media by the Nazi party.
Once the war passed, creativity was ignited again, and
allowed designers to pursue their once forgotten
designs.
Artists such as Saul Bass began to emerge in the design
world, and love of modernism flourished.

Brief History of Saul Bass

Born 1920 in New York
Graphic designer and film
maker
He worked for over 40 years,
from 1954 to 1995 (died
1996)
Best known for his film
posters, title sequences and
logo designs
Designed titles for over 30
films

Saul Bass style

Simple, geometric shapes
cut -paper hand drawn
shapes
Minimalistic, with single,
dominant images
Block colours, often warm
tones
Sharp lines
Use of black in contrast with
bright colours

Saul Bass inspiration

Much of Saul Bass inspiration came from Russian Constructivism and the
Bauhaus design
The influence of the Bauhaus recognisable geometric shapes, use of
block colours and contrasting black, and use of text is clearly evident in
Bass work.

 Similar is the inspiration that Russian

constructivism gave, with the use of
contrasting colour and black and white,
the hand-cut style, bold and sharp lines,
and the use of the human figure.

 Otto Premingers 1954

film Carmen Jones gave
Bass his big break
The producers then
asked Bass to design
their title credits

Saul Bass and Modernism

Saul Bass graphic design was untraditional and against
the norm. Other film posters and logos, throughout
many decades, often used wide ranges of colours
shading, and different shapes and textures, evolving
over time, whereas Bass used geometric designs and a
selective use of colour. Although Bass maintained his
signature style, his designs were always as stimulating
and current.

1955

1957

Other film posters in the 1950s

1958

1968

Finer Lines
More detail and texture
Continued use of black, white,
and coloured contrast
Use of the human figure
Other film posters in the 1960s

Other film posters in the 1970s

1993

More textured, rough rather than sharp

lines
Use of gradient coloured background rather
than block colours
Use of pattern
Continued use of black
Other film posters in the 1990s

The Man with the Golden Arm Title sequence

Bass and Modernism in film production

Not only were the physical designs of Bass revolutionary, but his
work also had a huge impact on the way in which film titles and
credits in films were perceived and later used.
Traditionally, credits were considered unimportant in the 1950s and
60s; they would actually be projected onto the closed curtains,
which would only open for the first official scene of the film.
But Bass chose to create exciting graphics that moved across the
screen, blending into one another and incorporating other images;
making a rich cinematic experience.
Titles became a spectacle to be seen. Film reels with Bass credits
were delivered to movie theaters along with a note: projectionist
pull curtainbeforetitles. 99 designs

Logo design
Bass also designed some of the most iconic corporate
logos in North America; some companies have not yet
redesigned these logos, showing how ageless Bass
work is.
Kos Cosmetics (1959), Kibun (1964), Warner
Communications (1972) still use his designs.
He also designed the logos of the Girl Scouts (1978)
and Geffen Records (1980) that have since been
slightly modified,
but with the essential look
remaining.
His other logo designs include those of Bell, AT & T and
Kleenex.

 Bass minimalistic style was incredibly influential in the

world of design.
"The ideal trademark is one that is pushed to its utmost
limits in terms of abstraction and ambiguity, yet is still
readable. Trademarks are usually metaphors of one kind or
another. And are, in a certain sense, thinking made visible."
This way of thinking resonates today in the simplelogo of
Google's homepage, the Applelogo, and the tiles of
Microsoft's redesign for windows phones, tablets and
computers.

Work Inspired by Saul Bass

Poster campaign promoting a blood donation campaign,

designed by Young & Rubicam.

Title sequence for Steven SpielbergsCatch Me If You Can,

designed by Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Deygas

"If its simple simple, its boring...We try

for the idea that is so simple that it will
make you think and rethink...Design is
thinking made visual
Saul Bass