Google kicked their doodles up a notch today with a video tribute to graphic artist Saul Bass.
The interactive doodle above the page's search function, gave Google users a small glimpse in to the type of work Bass was known for, even in his role as an Oscar-winning filmmaker. Bass, who passed away in 1996, was a graphic artist who took the art form to the next level, branching out to iconic American films. He was the father of the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's "The Man with the Golden Arm," the racing credits that form a skyscraper in Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and the darting text in "Psycho."
Bass made film title sequences an art form in and of themselves.
More contemporary projects Bass created were for Scorsese's "Casino," "GoodFellas" and "Cape Fear" and graphics for "Ocean's 11."
Bass's work was recognizable on many fronts including the AT&T bell and globe logos, the Continental Airlines' 1968 jet stream logo and United Airlines' 1974 tulip logo. General Foods, Dixie and Geffen records also used his designs.
The Google doodle pays tribute to Bass's May 8 birthday with a series of moving sequences showing his work in "Psycho and "The Man With The Golden Arm." The feature also recalls "Spartacus" poster art Bass created for Stanley Kubrick, the streetscape designs from "West Side Story," the "Vertigo" psiral and the running clock from "Around the World in 80 Days."
