By the late sixÂties, the AmerÂiÂcan Bell TeleÂphone ComÂpaÂny, colÂloÂquiÂalÂly known across AmerÂiÂca as “Ma Bell,” needÂed some spiffÂing up. PerÂhaps a vast, long-estabÂlished teleÂphone serÂvice monopÂoly doesÂn’t spring to mind as the ideÂal design client, but Saul Bass, the artist behind the title sequences for films like The Man with the GoldÂen Arm, SparÂtaÂcus, and PsyÂcho, thought difÂferÂentÂly. If you recÂogÂnize Bass’ name, you probÂaÂbly know he creÂatÂed the Bell logo used by the comÂpaÂny from 1969 to its JusÂtice DepartÂment-manÂdatÂed divestiÂture in 1984. But the work cut out for Bass and his assoÂciates went well beyond figÂurÂing out how best to streamÂline and modÂernÂize an old-timey bell-in-a-cirÂcle graphÂic. As you can see above, they had to proÂduce an entire half-hour film pitchÂing their ideas for the corÂpoÂraÂtion’s comÂplete aesÂthetÂic redesign. They didÂn’t just make a new logo; they pracÂtiÂcalÂly creÂatÂed a new world, encomÂpassÂing signs, booths, vehiÂcles, equipÂment, pubÂliÂcaÂtions, uniÂforms, and execÂuÂtive cufÂflinks.
Bass preÂsentÂed all this to Bell in 1969, the year after StanÂley KubrickÂ’s 2001 offered a vision of a near-future simÂiÂlarÂly uniÂfied by conÂsisÂtent, modÂern design. It marked the last era when you could proÂpose such a top-down aesÂthetÂic proÂgram and not appear totalÂiÂtarÂiÂan — and, conÂsidÂerÂing the earth-toned stylÂisÂtic excessÂes the sevÂenÂties would shortÂly bring, it was the last era when you would have wantÂed to. ViewÂers of cerÂtain genÂerÂaÂtions will rememÂber vividÂly the real-life verÂsions of Bass’ proÂposed phone book, van, and hardÂhat designs. OthÂer proÂposÂals seem slightÂly outÂlandish and, from the perÂspecÂtive of 2012, more than a litÂtle retro. Observe, for instance, the unreÂalÂized uniÂform designs for women workÂing at BelÂl’s serÂvice cenÂters: “More flatÂterÂing than anyÂthing offered by the airÂlines [ … ] Ma Bell has gone Mod!” But the stock of retro-futurÂism has reached an all-time high in recent years, and Bass’ design work, as goofy as cerÂtain pieces of it may now seem, has retained a strikÂing qualÂiÂty over the decades. He cerÂtainÂly impressed the right peoÂple at Bell: after the breakup, the new AT&T hired him to make them a logo of their own.
RelatÂed conÂtent:
Saul Bass’ Oscar-WinÂning AniÂmatÂed Short PonÂders Why Man CreÂates
A Brief VisuÂal IntroÂducÂtion to Saul Bass’ CelÂeÂbratÂed Title Designs
ColÂin MarÂshall hosts and proÂduces NoteÂbook on Cities and CulÂture. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall.
I’ve no doubt that his design work on the comÂpaÂny’s re-brandÂing led to it become as big as it is today.
I can rememÂber my mothÂer allowÂing me to put his matchÂbook covÂers in my scrapÂbook (I was sevÂen) if i wouldÂn’t start any fires with them. I guess I had pretÂty good taste, for a kid!