To mark what would have been the 93rd anniversary of his birth, Google has given US graphic designer and filmmaker Saul Bass a fitting tribute: an animated video doodle based on his designs for film title sequences, posters and logos.
Head to Google’s homepage today and instead of being faced with the usual Google logo you can tune into a special video doodle to honour the designs Bass created in his lifetime.
Born on 8 May 1920 in the Bronx, New York, Bass is best known for his film title sequences and posters. During his career, he worked with some of Hollywood’s most prolific filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.
Bass started working in Hollywood in the 1940s and carried out print work for film adverts. In 1954, he caught a break when he got to design a film poster for Preminger’s 1954 film Carmen Jones. Impressed with his work, Preminger then asked Bass to produce the title sequence for the film.
Bass became known in the film industry when he created the title sequence for Preminger’s 1955 film The Man with the Golden Arm.
Working with Alfred Hitchcock, Bass created title sequences for films such as North by Northwest, Vertigo and Psycho.
Bass is known for having pioneered a new type of Kinetic typography or moving text. He designed title sequences for more than 40 years.
Towards the end of his career, Bass worked with Martin Scorsese to create the title sequences for Goodfellas, Cape Fear and The Age of Innocence. His last title sequence was for the 1995 film Casino.
Bass died on 25 April 1996 in Los Angeles, at the age of 75.
