It's hard to believe that a monograph dedicated to the work of Saul Bass hasn't existed until now, so I'm very excited about the forthcoming release Saul Bass: A Life in Film & Design. Laurence King know how to produce a quality tome and this should exceed expectations with 1400 examples of his work (much previously unseen) showcasing his output during a 40 year career: from the iconic posters and title sequences for the films of Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger, to the visual identity of corporate America.

I love the hand-cut feel to his movie posters - bold colours, rough type and symbolic shapes - a style much copied but never surpassed (see Burn After Reading and Precious for homages). His titles for film were no less innovative, capable of summarising the story and underlying themes graphically, and employing kinetic typography to stunning effect. Above all what comes across with his work is how much he enjoyed creating it: sophisticated yet somehow naive, there is a playful and beautiful element at the heart of his visual language.

[pullquote author="Saul Bass"]"I want everything we do to be beautiful. I don’t give a damn whether the client understands that that’s worth anything, or that the client thinks it’s worth anything, or whether it is worth anything. It’s worth it to me. It’s the way I want to live my life. I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares."[/pullquote]