Saul Bass was a graphic designer who made film titles. He was one of the first people to make film titles interesting and worth showing, as prior to his opening titles for "The Man with the Golden Arm" most movie theatres didn't even bother showing the titles, but Preminger specifically said that they should show the titles as he felt they were an important part of the film.
I like how Bass's title sequences are quite simple, they don't overload you with information, and although looking at some of them on youtube I thought they look quite outdated, his style is still being appropriated, as can be seen with "Catch Me If You Can", which uses a very similar style. By using this style however it is easy to place when the film is set, as the way the characters look and how they're animated is in a 50s-60s style.
I think Saul Bass did a very valuable thing for films, as apart from trailers the opening credits are our first insight into what a film will be like, and is an important part of setting the tone.
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