“The Man with the Golden Arm”  by Saul Bass (1955)

Saul Bass, one of history's most influential graphic designers, created the film’s promotional poster and title sequence. The poster exemplifies minimalist, abstract modernism, a defining style of Bass’s work.

Saul Bass developed the image on this poster for the first visual identity program—posters, marketing materials, and other communication tools—ever created for a motion picture. Bass was best known for creating simple, powerful graphic images that conveyed the essence of his subjects. Reducing the design to a single dominant symbol, Bass identified this film about drug addiction with a jagged arm thrusting sharply downward.