On Monday, the legendary Syd Mead—easily one of the greatest illustrators/futurists of our time—passed away. He was 86. Normally, I use this series to highlight artists who I think need more attention. But I thought to take a moment to recognize someone who’s work influenced not only me but a generation of designers, artists, filmmakers, and architects to look forward and envision a better future.

“We don’t go into the future from zero, we drag the whole past in with us.”

—Syd Mead

Mead left an incredible impact and his legacy is enormous. So many speculative fiction properties were shaped by his neo-futuristic style: Blade Runner, Tron, Short Circuit, Star Trek, Star Wars, even Gundam and think how many of those have gone on to influence a new generation of creators. There’s a wonderful vibrancy to his work and it continues to resonate.

The city of Lovat in my Bell Forging Cycle, was heavily influenced by my experience with Mead’s paintings as a student—especially his work on Blade Runner. Something about his cramped and claustrophobic street scenes inspired me and they stayed with me years later when I set down to write. I’ve shared some of my favorites pieces below, perhaps they’ll inspire you as well. As always, you can click to view them larger.

Syd Mead – “Cityscape Lightening”
Syd Mead – “San Angeles”
Syd Mead – Blade Runner Cityscape
Syd Mead – “Downtown Cityscape”
Syd Mead – “City Design 02”
Syd Mead – “Spinner Perspective View”
Syd Mead – “Deckard’s Kitchen”
Syd Mead – “City Sketch”
Syd Mead – Ship Design
Syd Mead – “Unipod”
Syd Mead – “US Steel Series”
Syd Mead – “US Steel Series”
Syd Mead – “US Steel Series”
Syd Mead – “Running of the Six Drgxx”

You can see so much more of Syd Mead’s work on his website. There are several great art books that gather his work in the movies and as a futurist. I’d recommend starting with The Movie Art of Syd Mead: Visual Futurist or Syd Mead’s Sentury II.

Rest in peace, Syd. Thanks for everything.

If you like Syd Mead’s work, be sure to check out some of the other artists who I’ve found inspiring in the past. While there’s certainly a theme to the art that inspires me, you’ll find lots of different styles, tones, and moods.