This is a video of Saul Bass presenting his brand identity suggestions to Bell System in the early 1970s. The first half is a fantastic overview on the importance of brand  identity,. while the second half (starting at around 13:00) is the identity pitch itself. A long video, but worth every second of your time.

Interestingly, one of the first indications of whether Apple is capable of continuing its explosion of creative energy without Jobs at the helm may be found in its advertising. The product pipeline will take years to screw up. But the ad pipeline can be screwed up in no time.

About a year from now, with Jobs in the background, the knuckleheads at Apple (there are knuckleheads everywhere) will have a chance to get their sweaty hands on the advertising.

Jobs is a brilliant technology visionary. But let’s not forget that he is also the best ad man of his generation. He is what you might call a “classicist.” Apple advertising is simple. It is almost always product-focused (the product usually sits smack dab in the middle of a white page.) The TV spots for the iPad and iPhone are usually nothing more than simple but compelling product demonstrations.

It will be interesting to watch what happens.