Aries Rising, Aquarius Midheaven
Listen, this is essentially going to be a love letter to Saul Bass- sorry, not sorry.
But when I was first outlining this series, I knew that Bass’ work was inherently Aries (despite him being a born Taurus.) But what pairing best suited the jagged, almost brutal illustration style Bass was known for?
For those unfamiliar, Saul Bass was an absolute pioneer in graphic design in the mid century period. From unforgettable movie posters (like Vertigo, West Side Story and The Shining- you know, nothing big) to memorable logos for companies like Avery, Quaker Oats and Warner Music that we still see floating around today.
Bass’ work is identified by a bold use of color and a limited palette, as well as strong geometric shapes that often lean into deconstruction. It’s minimalist without being calming or passive. It’s bold without being overly decorated. It’s expressive without asking too much from the viewer. It’s timeless but also, so defining of the time it was produced.
Even if Nobody Cares
Blunt, geometric and almost brutal, who else could this be but Aries? These designs are so simply yet completely full of energy and motion, the start contrast and bold saturation of the colors demands your attention.
Believe it or not, I originally had this design style pegged as having a Sagittarius midheaven, something about the free form structure and fiesty energy made me think of the sister fire sign. But the longer I let that marinate, the more I realized this design style had way more of a Saturnian influence than Jupitarian. Thus, I arrived at Aquarius.
I mean, just the act of deconstructing these everyday objects and scenes into their most fundamental parts feels so Aquarius. The Bass style is almost like playing with cutout blocks. And it’s really only when you step back to see the whole picture, that everything makes sense. When you’re too close or focusing on only one element, you miss the wider context. And for an Aquarius, perspective is everything.
Additionally, Bass’ work was pioneering, pushing the limits of media. His iconic title sequence in North by Northwest marked the first animated title sequence for a feature film. Which seems kind of crazy to me since this approach has become insanely popular. And it wasn’t only in media he pushed limits, but also in the corporate sector, creating evocative and memorable logos utilizing simple shapes.
And the cherry on top was this quote by Bass himself which I pulled during research, “I just want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares.” Aka, I’m doing my own thing and really don’t care if anyone watches. Is there anything more Aries meets Aquarius than that?
How to use this mood board
FONTS
I found Doublebass that’s clearly an imitation of the fonts Bass employed. I also picked News Cycle, a derivative of the classic News Gothic. The tight, narrow feel of this grotesque font calls back to many that were employed in the mid century era, and adds considerable legibility compared to its jankier partner.
COLORS
Keep that color palette tight. Black and white anchor these designs while a pop of rich red, yellow, cyan or even a lush sea foam. Primary, instinctual, color driven.
Also, a little observation, I’m noticing that restrictive color palettes with heavy use of contrast and black and white tend to make an appearance when a Saturnian sign is in the combo. Curious.
GRAPHICS
Obviously you can dive right in and create illustrations highly influenced by Bass’ style. Behance is rife with them.
A brand that I think nods to this design icon is Tony’s Chocoloney. The retro influence is just radiating off of their packaging, but the Bass style is even more evident in their infographics on Instagram. They keep the color palette simple, and even their chocolate bars are pieced into jagged shapes.
In the mood board I also pulled in those two shoe adds. The MiuMiu logo feels like a call back to this time period and something about the perspective of the shoes and the way the light plays on the soles kind of leans into this art direction. The red boots with the martini glass even more so with it’s simple geometry that you can easily envision being illustrated in the Bass style. Plus the rich red also add a nice nod.
ARCHETYPES
These signs and this art style are giving Rebel mixed with Creator. It takes the Rebel’s balls to work outside the lines and not fear being jarring or unpleasant, while the Creator is always looking for a new angle or perspective to build from.
