I've always been interested in the work of Saul Bass and was delighted to get the opportunity to celebrate his birthday on the Google homepage. From the outset I wanted to celebrate a number of his film credits in succinct succession, as well as a nod in the direction of his poster work. Film rights can be problematic so I wasn't completely sure of the order of cutting, but as it turned out every studio was a pleasure to work with. Corresponding with Jennifer Bass was inspirational and led to hearing that Saul Bass was a Dave Brubeck fan. Although I hadn't synched animation to music we found a Brubeck track that managed to hit the right notes. Again, the Brubeck estate were superb to work with.

I drew everything in Illustrator before animating in After Effects. I hope I found a way to merge Google with Bass' graphic sensibilities. But I shouldn't have the last word:

 

"Failure is built into creativity… the creative act involves this element of ‘newness’ and ‘experimentalism,’ then one must expect and accept the possibility of failure.”

 

“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.”

—Saul Bass, Logo Designer

"His titles are not simply imaginative identification tags; when his work comes on the screen, the movie itself truly begins,"

—Martin Scorsese

Posted by Matthew Cruickshank, Doodler