Maurice Binder and the Bond opening title sequences

Maurice Binder

​Maurice Binder was an American visual designer. He was born on August 25, 1925 in New York City, New York and died in London, England on April 9, 1991. He is best known for his opening title sequences for the James Bond movies. Binder started out as a design advertiser, creating advertisements and catalogs for Macy’s department store. Later, he worked at Universal Studios and then became art director for Columbia Pictures. One of the main titles that Binder designed for director, Stanley Donen, caught the attention of James Bond producers Harry Salesman and Albert R. Broccoli, who hired Binder for the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962).

Binder’s trademarks for the James Bond films include the signature gun barrel sequence and features of women performing activities such as shooting a weapon or dancing. To create the gun barrel sequence, Binder used a pinhole camera to create the detailed definition that is present in the scene. In Binder’s Dr. No opening title, he mixes animation, light filters, and shadows. Binder plays with the arrangement of colored dots and typography as well which adds a feeling of playfulness to the sequence. The mix of effects creates an exciting and fresh look to the title sequence and adds suspense and a feeling of mystery regarding what will happen next in the film.

-By Isabel Steinberg