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Saul Bass Ponders Why Man Creates [VIDEO]

Short documentary made by the legendary graphic designer musing on the nature of creativity.

Here’s a quick question: Wherein lies the nature of creativity? Does it come from some innate impulse to share ideas? To communicate complex/abstract thoughts? To play? To reaffirm our existence? To stave off boredom? It’s one to ponder when you have a few hours to kill and certainly not a question that will be solved during your lunch hour. But what you can do in your lunch hour is watch this charming, playful (and at times very groovy) animated short documentary from 1968 titled Why Man Creates. What makes it so special is it’s directed by Saul Bass (along with his wife Elaine), a pioneering and influential graphic designer.

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Famed for his work on title sequences, especially his striking minimalism on Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho—along with celebrated efforts on North By Northwest and Vertigo—he also worked with Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, and Otto Preminger, and designed posters too. Remembered as an innovator, he was a master of film titles who managed to tightly convey the themes of the movie in those short, sharp opening credits. So, all in all, Bass definitely makes for great company for 25 minutes of musing on the nature of creativity. Part one is above and part two below.

Watching Bass chronicle creative thought throughout the ages we were reminded of this great animated lecture from Sir Ken Robinson (below), a world-renowned creativity and education expert. Robinson draws attention to the ways our educational systems have been systematically stifling creative thought over the years by taking a standardized approach to teaching cognitive skills. In the video below, Robinson points out the flaws in our current educational structures and calls for a “paradigm shift” that would foster divergent thinking and creativity in generations to come. Here’s to championing creative thought in the 21st Century.