Saul Bass. His name has almost the same effect as his work: unique, simple and sacred to a man who has changed advertising. Bass’ success resides in his dynamic posters, movie title sequences and logos characterized by jagged, yet simple, shapes and paper cutouts. His influences include Laszlo Moholy-Nagy who “introduced Bass to [his] Bauhaus style and Russian Constructivism” (Design Museum). Russian Constructivism was a movement that began shortly after World War I. It focused on using geometric shapes, experimentation, and a devotion to modernity (Art History Archive).
At the beginning of his career, Bass designed mostly film ads. At this time, the typical film ad focused on the big-name actors in the movie in order to generate an audience. This was known as the Big Head Theory. In the mid fifties, Bass broke the mold when he began using a “1920’s Soviet commercial design with an American twist” (SaulBass.tv) for his posters. This style hit it big when Bass began working with Otto Preminger to design a poster for the film Carmen Jones. Preminger was so impressed that he asked Bass to also design the title sequences. Once again, Bass took something basic and turned it into a masterpiece. Instead of producing a monotonous title sequence, Bass worked to create a presentation that would add to the experience of the movie. By doing this, Bass revealed the importance of a film’s opening and closing credits. Thus, making title sequences a form of art.
Another title sequence he developed, under a similar approach, was for The Man With a Golden Arm. Again, Bass was working with Preminger. This time the title sequence adopted a controversial feel to match the public opinion of the film’s storyline. Four years later and still on a creative roll, Bass once again raised the bar for aspiring graphic artists. This is when he began using kinetic typography. Audiences that gathered in theatres to see the 1959 film North by Northwest were taken by surprise to see the movie titles flowing across the screen. Also, while working with Alfred Hitchcock on, North by Northwest, Bass utilized a grid layout used to represent skyscrapers. Bass utilized his designs in the sequence to directly bring the viewer into the middle of the scene: a man getting off an elevator.
The idea of incorporating a title sequence with a movie seems like common sense now days. It is very likely to go to the theater and see a title sequence equally as impressive as the film. A good example of this is the Casino Royale sequence. With out the influence of Saul Bass introductions for movies could be completely different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj2MBLsAVbY