Syd Mead was an industrial designer best known for his vehicle designs in science-fiction films such as Blade Runner, Aliens and Tron. In much of his film work, he is billed as a "visual futurist" or "conceptual designer".
Some of the concept art for Syd Mead's work on Blade Runner was later used for the comic series Blade Runner 2019, Blade Runner 2029, and Blade Runner 2039.
Career History[]
- 1959: Employed by Ford Motor Company's Advanced Styling Center in Dearborn, Michigan
- 1960 to 1961: Working at Ford Motor Company Styling in Detroit, Michigan * 1961: Makes futuristic paintings for a US Steel booklet
- 1970: Starts own company, Syd Mead, Inc.
- 1976: Book of designs Sentinel published
- 1978: Works on Star Trek: The Motion Picture (V'ger design)
- 1980: Begins work on Blade Runner (city background designs, vehicle design) and Tron (lightcycle, tank, solar sailer, and carrier designs)
- 1983: Works on 2010 (Leonov spaceship design)
- 1985: Works on Aliens (Sulaco design) and Short Circuit ('Johnny' robot design). Book Oblagon published
- 1986: Works on Short Circuit (robot design)
- 1987: Designs space cruisers, fighters, props, and costumes for the Japanese anime Yamato 2520]]
- 1991: Kronolog design book (compilation of Kronovecta, Kronoteco, and Kronovid books) published
- 1993: Designs vehicles for the computer game] CyberRace
- 1994: Works on designs for Timecop] (guns, time machine) and Strange Days ('sim-stim' deck and headgear)
- 1997: Conceptual artist on the computer game Wing Commander: Prophecy
- 1998: Designs mecha for Japanese anime Turn A Gundam]
- 2000: Works on Mission to Mars] (vehicle design)
- 2001: Sentury published
- 2004: "DVD" drawing Step By Step 4-series
- 2005: Works on "Mission: Impossible III" (Mask Maker machine design)
- 2007: His designs for Blade Runner's spinners and other futuristic car designs are shown on the Discovery Channel program Future Car, in which he is interviewed about car designs of the future.