In the Year 2000: Nothing Makes Me Happier Than Syd Mead
Prof. Michael Stoll has scanned in these wonderful Syd Mead illustrations, commissioned by U.S. Steel in the early '60s as promotional materials, and added them to the Paleo-Future/Boing Boing Gadgets "In the Year 2000" Flickr pool. I would kill to get my hands on a set of these.
This ambulance is taking me to the hospital where I will be impregnated with Syd Mead's babies.
Christ almighty! Syd Mead invented AT-ATs!
USS - a portfolio of probabilities [Flickr.com via Paleo-Future]
the latest
latest episodes
I can stare at Mead's work over and over again, discovering some new engineering-inspired detail each time. Look at the 'knee' joints with the large-diameter, open-center bearings and some kind of circumferential drive. Fantastic!
This is what I was led to believe the year 2000 would be like. It still looks wonderful... but the more I look at those low, sleek cars, the more I think that people in the future must be a lot shorter. I'd be all hunched over in those things, hitting my head on the ceiling.
Joel, have you seen Syd's art prints that come with the Blade Runner Ultimate Collection (the briefcase)? they're great, and I've been thinking about framing them and scattering them about my house.
@Kromekoran: I have; I almost bought a set yesterday on eBay. But I just finally framed a bunch of the art I have and I'd hate to have to buy even more picture frames. I'm turning into a person who actually presents things instead of stacking them in piles!
And truth be told, I like Mead's ID concept stuff like the US Steel and the Phillips work more than the Blade Runner stuff. It's good, unquestionably, but I just like the smiling future more.
Back in 1986 I had a summer internship with Dodge in Detroit. One of the marketing guys was friends with Syd and had him do a series of renderings for the Dodge Daytona showroom brochure. He had the originals in his office and the colors looked a little odd. He explained to me that Syd chose colors that would respond to the florescent lighting in dealer's showrooms. We carried the renderings into a nearby conference room, turned up all the florescent lights and SHAZZAM! The effect was mind blowing.
He then told me that when he presented the images and his concept for an all-illustrated (rather than photographic) showroom brochure, the pinheaded executives pronounced the idea as "out-of-date" and Syd's style as "passe".
I wonder where those renderings are now...