Syd Mead - Visual Futurism

Out of curiosity does anyone know how to find the "Army RUAS-4" that is at the 44 second mark on the video? Many years ago I had the book with that picture.
 
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
He has this unique Talent of Combining, Technologic knowledge with Design and transform them with versed in art into Visual Future !


but let him explained it self to you:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7JF2LAYLFc

42 minute audio interview with Syd Mead

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rTdKMlLmUs

the Brisbane Interview, march 2010.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZVW8Zn5fSM

yes Blade Runner, at 2m44s Mead explain the idea behind urban landscape of Movie
 
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Now I'm thinking what today and the future would be like if the Cold War continued? Anyway I have a feeling the future will be a bit like the TransHuman Space RPG(but with less space tech or infrastructure/colonies). Hopefully at least a little bit of retro cyberpunk goodness will creep in there.
 
Michel Van said:
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
Click to expand...

Mead is a highly talented sci-fi illustrator, no doubt, but calling him a "designer" seems inappropriate to me. Has he ever designed anything that actually flew? Any vehicle that was actually driven? Any object that was actually used?

Unless an artist does that, he is only a dreamer. The fact that his dreams are pleasing to the eye, extremely detailed or highly evocative make him one heck of a dreamer, but not a "designer" in my book...
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Michel Van said:
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
Click to expand...

Mead is a highly talented sci-fi illustrator, no doubt, but calling him a "designer" seems inappropriate to me. Has he ever designed anything that actually flew? Any vehicle that was actually driven? Any object that was actually used?

Unless an artist does that, he is only a dreamer. The fact that his dreams are pleasing to the eye, extremely detailed or highly evocative make him one heck of a dreamer, but not a "designer" in my book...
Click to expand...

He's an Industrial Designer. That's what they do. After the industrial designer has done his bit it's turned over to the engineers to make it real.
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Michel Van said:
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
Click to expand...

Mead is a highly talented sci-fi illustrator, no doubt, but calling him a "designer" seems inappropriate to me. Has he ever designed anything that actually flew? Any vehicle that was actually driven? Any object that was actually used?

Unless an artist does that, he is only a dreamer. The fact that his dreams are pleasing to the eye, extremely detailed or highly evocative make him one heck of a dreamer, but not a "designer" in my book...
Click to expand...

Here you are some practical examples of Syd Mead´s work.
The first concept of the "Smart" car, trains,luxury yachts,Airbus interiors,etc.
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Oh, okay! Thanks for the great pics! I always thought Mead was like Chris Foss or Moebius: just a sci-fi illustrator. In this case, YES, he is a designer, no doubt. I guess if I'd watched the above videos I would have known, but when I posted my previous message I was at the office and couldn't play videos... Sorry for polluting this thread! :-[
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Michel Van said:
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
Click to expand...

Mead is a highly talented sci-fi illustrator, no doubt, but calling him a "designer" seems inappropriate to me. Has he ever designed anything that actually flew? Any vehicle that was actually driven? Any object that was actually used?

Unless an artist does that, he is only a dreamer. The fact that his dreams are pleasing to the eye, extremely detailed or highly evocative make him one heck of a dreamer, but not a "designer" in my book...
Click to expand...

He work first for Ford Motor Company's Advanced Styling Center on show cars and the Hypervan concept
later for US Steel as Industrial Designer/Illustrator for US Steel booklet send to US car industry.
in 1970 he founded his own company.

1976 He work for Singer , who try get in car manufacture business with a mikrocar, yes Syd Mead was the Smart car years ahead.
also as Visual consultant for Movie production, car manufactures, electronic industry and consumer products,
like new ideas for Philips Concern industrial Design Center, on look of radios and Hi-Fi system and who to use them.
in later years he design the interiors of private 747 and yacht's for Arabian sultans

index.php

His design for a subway proposal, ends up light modified on Atlanta MARTA
640px-CQ311_inside.jpg
 
I attended a lecture by Mead years ago and I remember him talking about design work for some Saudi prince's 747. The jacuzzi presented some problems, it seemed - it had to empty quickly in case the plane hit turbulence, but there was the risk of, um 'body parts' getting sucked into the drains.
 
Hello!

I'm occasionally found this thread and was fascianting with the concepts and art of Syd Mead.
Facts, that his sketches and works have been behind the such cool movies, as Alien and Blade Runner, were absolutely new to me!

I found the official page of the artist http://sydmead.com/v/12/

As well as couple of pages on Russian, filled with good quality images.
https://vk.com/sydmead
https://vk.com/album-123586323_240710281

Many thanks for sharing and pointing me to this artist's activity!
 

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The steel mill pic is from his work for US Steel, in which he visualized future vehicles that, unsurprisingly, incorporated their materials. Actually, some of his most evocative automotive designs stem from this period.
 
And let's not forget the work he did for Lockheed on the ATF (F-22):
 

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I treated myself to a coffee table book by Syd Mead in
the early 80s in the second of four locations for the
Forbidden Planet shop in London.
His work from the late 50s on was quite breathtaking
and I realised how much it had coloured my own love
of such stuff. Thanks for the thread.
A new book on his film work is just out.
 
carmelo said:
Where are internet and smartphones?
Click to expand...

on Smartphones i found no picture of his designs made for Phillips. it feature some small communications devices

On Internet and collective virtual reality, her is his idea on that for Movie Blade Runner
sadly do budget limitations the concept was drop.
123912992392.jpg
 
A friend has a print by Syd Mead showing very large, four-legged, robot horses running along a race track. Some spectators were clearly holding smartphones. Long before smartphones arrived in their current form. I have some of the US Steel portfolios and some design books.

Syd Mead was criticized by his fellow designers for drawing things that were not practical, that could not be built. I admire his work.
 
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Thank you. That's the one. It's called "Running of the Six Drgxx" and is undated. A quick check shows it was published in the 1990s. I recall seeing the smartphones and telling my friend "I like the print but those devices are a little far-fetched."
 
sferrin said:
Stargazer2006 said:
Michel Van said:
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
Click to expand...

Mead is a highly talented sci-fi illustrator, no doubt, but calling him a "designer" seems inappropriate to me. Has he ever designed anything that actually flew? Any vehicle that was actually driven? Any object that was actually used?

Unless an artist does that, he is only a dreamer. The fact that his dreams are pleasing to the eye, extremely detailed or highly evocative make him one heck of a dreamer, but not a "designer" in my book...
Click to expand...

He's an Industrial Designer. That's what they do. After the industrial designer has done his bit it's turned over to the engineers to make it real.
Click to expand...

An industrial designer's work many times is taking the invention - the prototype and working it into a design that is marketable. If you have seen the 1983 movie Brainstorm, Natalie Wood's character in it was pretty much an industrial designer.

In Mead's case. sometimes he comes up with something in this speculative work that inspires someone to run with that idea and make it work, then it goes back to him to refine the look.
 
Syd Mead is best known as a 'visual futurist' or concept artist indeed, but he has done a lot of work as an industrial designer for custom and one-off projects. I remember him speaking at a seminar on the design challenges he had for a luxury jet interior: if the plane hits turbulence, how do you empty the jacuzzi quickly without people getting tender body parts sucked into the drain? He didn't mention how he solved that. I would also say that set design, while meant fundamentally for visual appeal, also faces practical challenges in construction, accessibility and so forth that need to be overcome.
 
The Artist said:
sferrin said:
Stargazer2006 said:
Michel Van said:
Syd Mead is the most important Designer of our time.
Click to expand...

Mead is a highly talented sci-fi illustrator, no doubt, but calling him a "designer" seems inappropriate to me. Has he ever designed anything that actually flew? Any vehicle that was actually driven? Any object that was actually used?

Unless an artist does that, he is only a dreamer. The fact that his dreams are pleasing to the eye, extremely detailed or highly evocative make him one heck of a dreamer, but not a "designer" in my book...
Click to expand...

He's an Industrial Designer. That's what they do. After the industrial designer has done his bit it's turned over to the engineers to make it real.
Click to expand...

An industrial designer's work many times is taking the invention - the prototype and working it into a design that is marketable. If you have seen the 1983 movie Brainstorm, Natalie Wood's character in it was pretty much an industrial designer.

In Mead's case. sometimes he comes up with something in this speculative work that inspires someone to run with that idea and make it work, then it goes back to him to refine the look.
Click to expand...
Never said it was a one way street.
 
Never get opinions from "senior equity research analysts." Their only question? Will it sell?
 
edwest said:
Never get opinions from "senior equity research analysts." Their only question? Will it sell?
Click to expand...
Well, if your business is to sell things, I would think their opinion would be important. But hey, that's just my opinion.
 
There are car designers and consumers. Analysts... uh analyze things. My point was that the consumer eventually decides while those with design and engineering backgrounds have to make it all work and create the complete package. I have an interest in both.
 
I remember an interview with a Renault designer some years ago. Their company and Citroen were competing in the same sector. Both companies had similar market research results. Citroen presented a safe, conservative design to the market and it did relatively poorly while the Renault was radical and sold well. The Citroen was overall the least offensive, but nobody was excited by it and there were plenty of more reliable German and Japanese competitors. More people hated the Renault, but more people loved it too. As everybody's second choice, the Citroen lost out, but as a few people's first choice, the Renault succeeded. Lesson? The secret of failure is trying to please everyone; instead, concentrate on your unique brand.
 
I have the books also. I wonder if there would be a market for larger scale model kits.
 
On twitter came news that syd mead has passed away

But there there no official new about, neither in news or his official homepage
Is those twitter news fake, or is syd mead not importan ?
 

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