The Film Posters of Saul Bass: 1950s-70s

Saul Bass revolutionized film posters in the Nineteen-Fifties with his ultra-graphic, symbolic posters that conveyed the overall themes of their films, as opposed to merely showing important scenes from them. Starting with the poster for The Man with the Golden Arm in 1955, he became a huge influence on the langauge of film advertising, inspiring many future designers and himself creating posters for dozens of films. His style of hand-made type and cut paper in solid blocks of color was an intriguing new look and helped create the idea of the film poster as an art piece, as more than just advertising.

His motto was “Symbolize and summarize,” and his success with this philosophy opened the door for freedom, exploration, and innovation in film advertisement in the years to come.

The Man with the Golden Arm – 1955 Edge of the City – 1957 Love in the Afternoon – 1957 Vertigo – 1958 Anatomy of a Murder – 1959

The Sixties saw Bass continue the success and popularity he had had in the previous decade. He further refined his symbolic style, with more complex (but still ultra-graphic) designs, and more use of curves, whereas the Fifties had been dominated by hard edges.

The Seventies however, saw shifts in both Bass’s interests, and the in-vogue style of movie poster. Bass shifted towards film-making work and logo designs, while the popular styles of film posters shifted back to paint and photo, albeit informed by Bass’s “Summarize and symbolize” style.

While the Eighties were quiet for Bass, the Nineties saw a resurgence in demand for his work, mostly by filmmakers who had grown up with his earlier work. Saul Bass died on April 25th, 1996, at the age of 75.

West Side Story – 1961 It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – 1963 The Cardinal – 1963 In Harm’s Way – 1965 Such Good Friends – 1971

Designed and Written by Miles Cook Maine College of Art, Class of 2014 GD102 Design: Meaning and Typography Fonts used: Helvetica Copyright Š 2012 Miles Cook Portland, Maine, Maine College of Art All Film Posters Š Saul Bass