Chris Higgins
Designer Saul Bass: “I don’t give a damn whether the client understands that [beauty] is worth anything.”
by Chris Higgins - January 26, 2010 - 1:18 PM

Saul Bass Posters

“I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares,” says Saul Bass, creator of many beautiful movie posters, logos, and other designs — see above for a few iconic examples. Bass made a lasting mark on American graphic design with his bold designs and text treatments. You see his influence today in images that try to evoke a now-kitschy 50′s or 60′s vibe — see the “Burn After Reading” poster, for example. See below for a brief interview (two minutes) with the man, which which he discusses making beautiful things versus just making money.

See this YouTube channel for a few more clips from the same interview — apparently it was a 90-minute interview, available on two DVDs. See also: the evolution of the AT&T logo, several variants of which were Bass designs (and the current version is sort of a 3D knockoff of the Bass 2D “Death Star” design).

(Via Kung Fu Grippe.)

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Comments (1)
  1. But are they still beautiful if no one thinks they are?

    I think I hear a tree falling in the woods :P

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