“Why Saul Bass Shows That Less is More in Design”

Opening Thoughts

Saul Bass is one of those designers whose work just sticks with you. He didn’t overcomplicate things — instead, he focused on clear, strong visuals that immediately communicated an idea. From movie title sequences to logos for big companies, Bass showed that simplicity could be far more powerful than complicated designs. This essay looks at how he used minimalism, why it works, and why people still talk about him today.

Background and Philosophy

Before Bass, movie titles were mostly boring and literal — they showed actors or scenes with lots of text and decoration. Bass brought a different approach. Inspired by modern design trends like Bauhaus and Swiss Style, he focused on clean shapes, clear layouts, and only including what was necessary.

Minimalism in design is all about cutting out anything extra. Bass applied this to film and logos by breaking down big ideas into simple images. Each line, shape, or motion in his work had a purpose. By removing the clutter, he let people focus on the story or the message.

Getting Started in Design

Bass studied design under György Kepes and then moved to Los Angeles. He started by designing print ads for movies, but his big break came with The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Instead of showing the story literally, he used a jagged white arm on a black background to represent heroin addiction. Paired with animated black bars and a jazz score, it immediately set the tone for the movie. This title sequence changed how people thought about movie openings — they could be creative and part of the storytelling itself.

Movie Titles as Storytelling

• Vertigo (1958): Bass used spirals coming from a character’s eye to show obsession and psychological instability. The simple shapes created a strong emotional effect.
• Psycho (1960): Sharp black-and-white lines sliced across the screen, matching the film’s violence and tension. No extra imagery was needed to make viewers uneasy.
• North by Northwest (1959): Lines formed grids and dynamic typography moved across the screen, giving a sense of energy and suspense.

In each example, Bass showed that simple shapes, lines, and motion could tell a story just as well — if not better — than complex graphics.

Logos and Corporate Design

Bass also made logos that are still in use today.

• AT&T (1983) used a striped globe instead of a bell, showing global communication clearly.
• Girl Scouts (1978) used a trefoil with profiles hidden in the negative space.
• United Airlines (1973) created a “tulip” made of shapes forming a “U.”

These logos worked for decades because they were simple, easy to recognize, and adaptable. Bass proved that good design didn’t need to be complicated — it just needed to communicate clearly.