Film-poster designer Saul Bass' flyer for Vertigo is the epitome of his work, using Bauhaus-style imagery to cut through movie cliché.

border=0 /><BR></div> </p> <p> Vertigo’s poster combines the disorientating graphic design nightmare of the film’s opening sequence with scratchy, malformed text to disconcerting effect. </p> <p> Behind both was film poster legend Saul Bass, whose graphics-based posters for maverick directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger and Billy Wilder eschewed traditional stills and illustrations of central characters in favour of symbolizing a film’s core concepts. </p> <p> This style is based on the modernist principle that behind the layers of meaning in a film is a single essence, a theme that can be represented by a single, strong symbol. This can then be applied to all of the film’s graphic elements – such as the poster, logo, and other media. </p> <p> In a sense, with this principle, Bass invented something close to what we understand today as branding. </p> <p> Bass’ graphics for Vertigo went beyond the film’s marketing materials though. The swirling vortex of concentric lines opens the film and leads the viewer through a sensation similar to that experienced by James Stewart’s Scottie when confronted by heights – ending in the eye of Kim Novak’s Madeline to begin the film proper. </p> </div> </section> </section> <footer> <div class="shareLinks"> <p>Share this</p> <span class="st_facebook_custom" displayText="Facebook"></span> <span class="st_twitter_custom" displayText="Tweet"></span> <span class= Print

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