Saul Bass was born in 1920 in New York City, to a Jewish immigrant family. A creative child, he drew constantly. For college, he attended night classes at the Art Students League where he had the fortune of studying under György Kepes, a master of the functional Bauhaus aesthetic. In the 1940s, Bass left New York for California. He worked mostly for advertising until his first major break: a poster for the 1954 film, Carmen Jones. The filmmakers were so impressed by his poster work, they invited him to design the title credits as well. This turned out to be a game changing decision. 1954 Carmen Jones Saul Bass stepped up the sophistication of film posters with his distinctive minimal style and he completely revolutionised the role of title credits in films. Traditionally, credits were static and drab. They were considered so un-important, they would actually be projected onto the closed curtains which would only open for the first official scene of the movie. Bass, however, was committed to injecting life into these graphics, making them as much a part of the cinematic experience as anything else. Introducing his signature “kinetic type,” Bass’ letters dashed and moved across the screen and frequently incorporated images other than text. Titles became a spectacle to be seen. Film reels with Bass credits were delivered to movie theaters along with a note: “projectionist – pull curtain before titles.” Bass went on to create dozens of iconic film posters and title credits. His final projects before his death in 1996 were credits for four Martin Scorsese films: Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), The Age of Innocence (1993) and Casino (1995). These are some of his best known film posters: Stalag 17 1955 The Man with the Golden Arm Saul Bass's enduring influence is still seen today in many references to his most iconic works like the poster above. This is a 2003 The White Stripes album cover: 2003 The White Stripes album 1956 Storm Centre 1957 Edge of the City 1957 Love in the Afternoon 1957 Saint Joan 1958 Bonjour Tristesse 1958 The Big Country 1958 Vertigo advertisement 1958 Vertigo 1959 Anatomy of a Murder 1960 Exodus 1960 Psycho 1960 Spartacus 1960 The Magnificent Seven advertisement 1961 One, Two, Three 1961 West Side Story 1962 Advise and Consent 1 1962 Advise and Consent 2 1962 Advise and Consent3 1962 Birdman of Alcatraz 1963 Nine Hours to Rama 1963 The Birds 1963 The Cardinal 1965 Bunny Lake is Missing 1965 In Harm's Way 1966 Grand Prix 1966 Seconds 1967 Hurry Sundown 1967 The Two of Us 1968 The Fixer 1970 Tell me that you love me, Junie Moon 1971 Such Good Friends 1979 The Human Factor 1980 The Shining 1993 Schindler's List