Saul Bass is the man. Born in New York and then moved to California after the war. In 1954, it all changed. He was hired to design film posters by Otton Preminger. The Man with the Golden Arm staring Frank Sinatra (love) Eleanor Parker, and Kim Novak. The movie’s plot was a bit gritty, dealing with drug addiction. Bass utilizes a grid of solid colored blocks to draw the eye into the center. The blocks are imperfect which gives it a charming quality considering the plot. The empty space between the blocks adds a sense of movement as well. The imperfection of the shapes is unique to Bass’s distinct poster style. The use of type is really great and I just love it and don’t really have any legitimate supporting arguments. His poster for “Vertigo” by Alfred Hitchcock does a great job in creating a sense of suspense and unease with the spiral and the figures of the man and woman.The type is as if it has been drawn by an unsteady hand and of course the use of the background color red adds emphasis to the overall feeling or tone of the movie. Saul Bass also created a poster for one of my favorite musicals of all time, West Side Story.
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