JOlson+-+Postcard

Saul Bass Pictured here.

Saul Bass was known for his logos and film titles, as well as his edgy, often minimalist style of design, which emphasized typography when it was present, and often had paper cut elements to it, though sometimes photo cuts were used instead. He designed some of the most iconic logos to date, include the logo of the girl scouts, AT&T, United and Continental Airlines (the original ones that don't look stupid and boring), and Dixie, as well as some of the most iconic title sequences and posters for movies, the most famous of which he did for The Man with the Golden Arm, Psycho, and Vertigo.

There are similarities between Bass's style and the styles that appeared during the great depression, especially the kind used in posters for the WPA and in Fortune magazine. But the style that most influenced his work was known as International Typographic Style, or Swiss Style, which uses geometric shapes or photos cut to look like geometric shapes, sans serif fonts in place of illustration, and lots of contrast.

For the most part, he would be considered pre-computer, and so he would have to find creative ways to create the effects he needed, like using teabags to create wrinkle effects and hand drawing animation over photographs/movie still. He cut out most of his shapes for animation, and this probably influenced his work and his choice to use a minimalist style in that it's easier to do these things in a minimalist style than a very detailed one. However, he did use some computer generated graphics such as the Spirograph used in the opening to Vertigo, though they were usually supplied by other artists.

I chose to do Saul Bass because I like his style the best. It has all the elements that I think make a picture look great yet rarely incorporate into my own work for some reason; it's simple, yet it stands out and looks good.