SYD MEAD is not a household name. But he played key roles in the design and visualisation of, arguably, the two most iconic films of the 1980s. Mead, for example, designed the memorable light cycles of TRON (1982). For BLADE RUNNER (1982) Director Ridley Scott scrawled ‘Syd Mead’ down as the first name on his pre-production wish-list. Now, in this rare and exclusive series of graphic tees, we present a selection of his illustrations from his career and life to date...
“Somewhere beyond the recognisable names of the cast and crew for Blade Runner falls the name of Syd Mead. His credit reads “Visual Futurist”. This odd, eye-catching moniker has subsequently provided the universal shorthand for clients throughout the overlapping spheres of the creative and design industries. By it, many have come to learn the name of Syd Mead nee Sydney Jay Mead.
Mr Mead’s formative career in design was developed while working for the Ford Motor Company, U.S. Steel, and Philips Electronics. And, as a ‘Futurist’ consultant, Mead went on to visualize technology and products for companies like Sony, Chrysler, Mechanix Illustrated and Playboy. Quite a career for this unknown.
Thereafter Mead’s movie design highlights have included concept art for many films from STAR TREK - The Motion Picture (Voyager), 2010 (all craft and stations), SHORT CIRCUIT, and TIMECOP to name but a few, for a wider, international audience however, it’s the pioneering efforts found within TRON and BLADE RUNNER which provide the short-cut into Mead’s career.”