Syd Mead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Syd Mead
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Mead in 2007
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| Born |
Sydney Jay Mead
July 18, 1933 Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Died | December 30, 2019 (aged 86) Pasadena, California, U.S.
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| Education | Art Center School |
| Occupation | Industrial designer |
| Years active | 1959–2019 |
| Known for | Designs for Blade Runner, Tron, Aliens, 2010, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
| Spouse(s) |
Roger Servick
(m. 2016) |
| Awards | Inkpot Award (1989) |
Sydney Jay Mead (born July 18, 1933 – died December 30, 2019) was an American industrial designer and concept artist. He was famous for his amazing designs in science fiction movies. You might know his work from films like Blade Runner, Aliens, and Tron. Many people called him "the artist who illustrates the future." He was also known as "one of the most influential concept artists and industrial designers of our time."
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Syd Mead's Early Life
Syd Mead was born on July 18, 1933, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His father was a minister who read him exciting pulp magazines. These magazines, like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, sparked his love for science fiction.
Syd was very good at drawing from a young age. He once said that by high school, he could draw people and animals well. He was also skilled at shading to show shapes. He graduated from high school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1951. After serving three years in the U.S. Army, Mead went to the Art Center School in Los Angeles. He graduated in June 1959.
Syd Mead's Career Journey
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In 1959, Syd Mead started working at Ford Motor Company's Advanced Styling Studio. He worked there from 1960 to 1961 in Detroit, Michigan. After two years, Mead left Ford to create illustrations for books and catalogs. He worked for big companies like U.S. Steel and Philips Electronics.
In 1970, he started his own company, Syd Mead, Inc., in Detroit. In the 1970s, Mead spent a lot of time in Europe. He designed and illustrated for international clients. He also created drawings for buildings, both inside and out.
From 1983 onwards, Mead worked with many Japanese companies. These included Sony, Minolta, and Honda.
Syd Mead's art was shown in many places. His first solo show was in 1973 in Germany. His work was also shown in Japan, Italy, and Spain. In 1983, Chrysler Corporation invited him to speak to their design team. He created a special presentation with slides. This presentation was very popular and he later expanded it. He showed it to companies like Disney and universities. In 2010, Mead toured Australia.
In 1993, a digital collection of his art was released in Japan. It was one of the first CD-ROMs of its kind. In 2004, Mead helped create a four-part DVD series. It was called Techniques of Syd Mead and taught people how to draw like him.
In 2018, Mead wrote his autobiography, A Future Remembered. He believed that the idea behind a design was more important than the drawing technique. He famously called science fiction "reality ahead of schedule."
Syd Mead's Work in Film
Syd Mead worked with major film studios on many famous movies. These include Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner, Tron, and Aliens. He also contributed to 2010, Short Circuit, and Timecop. Even the AT-AT walkers in Star Wars were inspired by Mead's art.
In the 1990s, Mead designed for two Japanese anime series. These were Turn A Gundam and Yamato 2520.
In 2007, a documentary about his career was finished. It was called Visual Futurist: The Art & Life of Syd Mead. He also appeared in other documentaries about movies he worked on. These include Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner and a film about the making of 2010.
Syd Mead's Personal Life
Syd Mead was married to Roger Servick in 2016. They started a publishing company called OBLAGON, Inc. in Hollywood. In 1998, they moved to Pasadena, California, where Mead continued his work.
Syd Mead's Passing
Syd Mead passed away on December 30, 2019. He was 86 years old and died in his Pasadena home. He had been battling lymphoma for three years. After his death, many people shared tributes to his life and work online.
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
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
- Randy & Jean-Marc Lofficier, "Detective Future Past", Starlog (USA) November 1992, Iss. 184
- The future came true – An Interview with Syd Mead
- Syd Mead's interview at Jabučnjak, July 2009
