Fact Finder - Movies

Before 1959, movie titles were mostly static text. Designer Saul Bass revolutionized the field with his work for Alfred Hitchcock’s 'North by Northwest.' He created the first major use of 'kinetic typography'—text that moves, slides, and interacts with the screen. In the film’s opening, the credits fly in from various directions to form a grid, mimicking the architecture of a skyscraper. This turned the opening credits into a 'mini-movie' that set the mood and energy of the film before a single line of dialogue was spoken. Bass’s work transformed title design from a boring legal requirement into a high-art form, influencing everything from the Bond film intros to modern TV shows like 'Mad Men.'