Syd Mead
Syd Mead | |
---|---|
Industrial designer | |
Years active | 1959–2019 |
Known for | Designs for Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens, 2010, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
Spouse | |
Awards | Inkpot Award (1989)[2] |
Sydney Jay Mead (July 18, 1933 – December 30, 2019)[3] was an American industrial designer and neo-futurist concept artist. He made designs for science-fiction films such as Blade Runner, Aliens and Tron. Mead has been described as "the artist who illustrates the future" and "one of the most influential concept artists and industrial designers of our time."[4][5]
Life
Early life
Mead was born on July 18, 1933, in
Career
In 1959, Mead was recruited to Ford Motor Company's Advanced Styling Studio by Elwood Engel. From 1960 to 1961, Mead worked in Ford Motor Company Styling in Detroit, Michigan. Mead left Ford after two years to illustrate books and catalogues for companies including United States Steel, Celanese, Allis-Chalmers and Atlas Cement. In 1970, he launched Syd Mead, Inc. in Detroit with clients including Philips Electronics.[6]
With his own company in the 1970s, Mead spent about a third of his time in Europe, primarily to provide designs and illustrations for Philips, and he continued to work for international clients.
Beginning in 1983, Mead developed working relationships with Sony, Minolta, Dentsu, Dyflex, Tiger Corporation, Seibu, Mitsukoshi, Bandai, NHK and Honda.[11]
Mead's one-man shows began in 1973 with an exhibit at
In 1993, a digital gallery consisting of 50 examples of his art with interface screens designed by him became one of the first CD-ROMs released in Japan. In 2004, Mead co-operated with Gnomon School of Visual Effects to produce a four-volume "how-to" DVD series titled Techniques of Syd Mead.[7]
In 2018, Mead published his autobiography, titled A Future Remembered.[12] Regarding his work, Mead said, "the idea supersedes technique,"[7] and that "I've called science fiction 'reality ahead of schedule.'"[13]
In film
Mead worked with major studios on the feature films:
In May 2007, he completed work on a documentary of his career with the director Joaquin Montalvan entitled Visual Futurist:The Art & Life of Syd Mead. The short 2008 documentary film 2019: A Future Imagined, also explored his works. Mead also appears in movie documentaries such as Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner and Mark Kermode's On the Edge of Blade Runner, and promotional materials such as the DVD extra for Aliens and a promotional short film about the making of 2010.[16]
Personal life
Mead was in a relationship with Roger Servick; the couple married in 2016.[17] They established a publishing extension, OBLAGON, Inc., in Hollywood[18] and relocated in 1998 to Pasadena, California, where Mead continued to work.[19]
Death
On December 30, 2019, Mead died in his Pasadena home at age 86, after three years of lymphoma.[6][20]
Gallery of works
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Blade Runner Car at the American Police Hall of Fame
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A police spinner from Blade Runner
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A car Mead designed for the film Blade Runner
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A plastic representation of a Cyberrace vehicle
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Rick Deckard's car from Blade Runner
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The interior of a car from Blade Runner
See also
References
- ^ "Syd Mead: 'Pivotal' Blade Runner designer dies". BBC. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Inkpot Award
- ^ a b Fowler, Matt (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead, Artist Behind Blade Runner, Dies". IGN. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Bicks, Emily (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead Dead: 'Star Trek' & 'Blade Runner' Visual Futurist Dies at 86". Heavy. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Sisson, Patrick (December 30, 2019). "Goodbye Syd Mead: A conversation with the artist who illustrated the urban future". Curbed. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c Kilkenny, Katie (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead, Visionary Conceptual Artist Behind 'Blade Runner' and 'Tron', Dies at 86". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Syd Mead Futurist: Biography". Sydmead.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2010.
- ^ Moon, Mariella (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead, concept artist behind 'Blade Runner' and 'Tron,' dies at 86". EnGadget. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "Syd Mead – Visual Futurist and Concept Artist". Carnegie Council. September 2, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ LaBarre, Suzanne (September 27, 2010). "Almost Genius: Futuristic Food Court by Blade Runner's Set Designer, Syd Mead". Fast Company. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ a b Warren, Tamara (May 24, 2012). "New Exhibition: Syd Mead". Forbes. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead Dies: Visionary Futurist Who Worked On 'Blade Runner' & 'Tron' Was 86". Deadline. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Cathcart, Rebecca (May 22, 2008). "Borrowing an idea from Los Angeles". New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Burton, Bonnie (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead, sci-fi visual artist known for Blade Runner and Tron, dies at 86". CNet. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ Lamble, Ryan (June 1, 2017). "Star Wars: The Surprising Origins of the AT-AT". Den of Geek. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "Blu-ray Review: 2010 | High-Def Digest". Bluray.highdefdigest.com. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Wheat, Lorraine (December 30, 2019). "Syd Mead, Visionary 'Blade Runner' Artist and Futurist, Dies at 86". Variety. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Wax, Roxana (May 14, 2017). "Syd Mead – The Master". Graphicine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ "Biography". SydMead.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- ^ Garvey, Marianne (December 31, 2019). "Syd Mead, the visual artist behind 'Blade Runner' dies at 86". CNN. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
External links
- Official website
- Syd Mead at IMDb
- Syd Mead entry at anime.com
- Blogs in JPN
- Detailed information for the "Syd Mead's Terraforming" video-game at the PC Engine Software Bible
- Entry for Syd Mead's Terraforming at PC-Engine Catalog Project
- Event Recap: "An Audience with Syd Mead", Brisbane, March 2010
- Syd Mead at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- Syd Mead at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- The Gnomon Workshop video tutorials with Syd Mead
Interviews
- Ed Naha, "Blade Runner's Syd Mead: An Artist With Designs on the Future", Starlog (USA) May 1982, Iss. 58, pg. 36–39,+61
- The future came true – An Interview with Syd Mead
- Syd Mead's interview at Jabučnjak, July 2009