Saul Bass - Social And Cultural Influences Flashcards
How was Saul bass influenced by his education?
A primary influence of Bass’s poster design for The Shining was his mentor and tutor György Kepes. Kepes was deeply inspired by the art school The Bauhaus and this influence can be seen in the aesthetics of the poster that include simple shapes, without elaborate decorations and a strong hue of yellow. He was also inspired by the European ‘Swiss Style’ of design that he was taught at Brooklyn College. This type of simplistic and often used a limited palette in strong contrast to bold type, this is seen in the poster for The Shining.
How was Saul bass influenced by jazz albums?
Another influence on the poster design for The Shining was jazz album design. Bass was inspired by the 1950’s jazz albums covers he loved such as Bird & Diz, to incorporate images inside negative shapes in his designs. This can be seen in the layout which places the shining face within the lettering. Bass said, “I try to reach for a simple, visual phrase that tells you what the picture is all about and evokes the essence of the story”
How was bass influenced by German movie posters?
Bass was influenced by the hand-drawn letters in German Expressionist movie posters in creating his poster design for The Shining. The hand drawn letters give the poster a stylised feel, which is used to describe the themes in the movie. This concept has been used in the poster for The Shining depicting the title steadily slanting downwards referring to the downward spiral experience by Jack the main character within the film.
How was bass influenced by creating film credits?
Bass was influenced by his innovative work on creating credits for the title sequences of films when he designed the poster for The Shining. He was a trailblazer in moving typography and the simple but unusual hand drawn text used for the title in The Shining poster achieves a sense of movement through its alignment.
