"The Man with the Golden Arm" - Saul Bass

• Function

  • Movie poster - know this as in the poster, there are the names of the famous actors, name of the movie, and the name of the director clearly displayed, making it easy to understand it is a film poster
• Function

  • Clearly advertise the film - does this by framing title of the film with simple block shapes, making the name of the film clear and draws your eye to it, creating a focal point
• Fitness for purpose

  • Purpose of poster is to advertise movie called 'The Man With the Golden Arm'
  • Fits purpose by displaying title of the film surrounding the jagged arm, creating interest as your eye is drawn to it.
• Fitness for purpose

  • Purpose of poster is to create curiosity about the film
  • Fits purpose by creating mystery as it doesn’t show too much about the plot, and the block shapes could suggest a maze
• Materials and/or techniques

  • Stencils and simple designs would've made his posters very easy to mass produce
  • Stencil technique to create the large text in the title
• Materials and/or techniques

  • Bass is famous for his use of simple, geometric shapes and symbolism. Often, a single dominant image standing alone to deliver a powerful message
  • These shapes, as well as type, were often hand-drawn by Bass to create a casual appearance, always packed with a sophisticated message
  • His ability to create such a powerful message with basic shapes makes the work even more impressive
• Target market/audience

  • Bold, simplistic, urban style of the poster would've looked very contemporary at the time, appealing to both young men and women. 
• Target market/audience

  • Poster is aimed at adult audience, because, the film is about a jazz drummers struggle with heroin.
  • Subject matter of the film - drug addiction would've been quite bold at the time
• Target market/audience

  • Frank Sinatra was a huge actor at the time, and was up for an Oscar, with his involvement in this movie, it would've attracted a large audience.
• Visual Impact

  • Your eye is drawn to the black silhouette of the jagged arm, catches your eye because it's unusual, and looks broken in several places, the hand and the fingers seem to be reaching for something
  • In addition, the arm is also framed by the maze of blocks around the poster which creates visual impact
• Visual Impact

  • Typography carefully chosen to reflect urban theme, and location of the movie
  • Irregular, uneven font makes the title and text interesting to look at, creating visual impact
• Style

  • Bass worked in a minimal design style
  • His sophistication of movie posters had a different minimal style such as simplistic shapes, making the posters timeless
• Style

  • Bass worked in a Modern style when designing 'The Man with the Golden Arm' poster
  • Can be seen in the blocky style of shapes that create a maze, this could've been influenced by Cubism
  • This suggests that Bass was inspired by Cubism, and Modernism
• Two influences - Bauhaus design theory:

  • Bauhaus design is often abstract, angular, and geometric, with little ornamentation
  • Reflected in the iconic graphic design work of Saul Bass, this can be seen through his use of unique, and irregular cut out typography
• Two influences - Russian Constructivist typography:

  • Can be seen in the minimal typography, handful of simple shapes, and stark composition of his posters.
  • These elements are reflected in his designs as effective communication devices