Sentinel: Steel Couture - Syd Mead - Futurist

by Syd Mead (Illustrator), Strother MacMinn (Text)

A highly visual encyclopedia of the possible with drawings by Syd Mead, a trained industrial designer and a visualizer of the American Dream

Genres: Art

Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Sydney Jay Mead, commonly Syd Mead (born July 18, 1933), is an American industrial designer and neofuturistic concept artist, widely known for his designs for science-fiction films such as Blade Runner, Aliens and Tron. Mead once said, "I've called science fiction 'reality ahead of schedule.'"

Mead's work has received wide note, and, in 2017, Curbed called Mead "the artist who illustrates the future".

Born on 18 July 1933 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Mead graduated from high school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1951. After serving a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Army, Mead attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles (now the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena), where he graduated in June 1959. He was recruited by Ford Motor Company's Advanced Styling Studio by Elwood Engel. Mead left Ford after two years to illustrate books and catalogues for companies including United States Steel, Celanese, Allis-Chalmers and Atlas Cement. In 1970, he launched Syd Mead, Inc. in Detroit with clients including Philips Electronics.

In 1979, Mead worked with major studios on the feature films Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Blade Runner, Tron, 2010, Short Circuit, Aliens, Timecop, Johnny Mnemonic and Mission: Impossible III.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got to borrowing my brothers Syd Mead collection over Christmas and I have to say they are as amazing as ever. Describing himself as a futurist rather than a science fiction artist he has worked with some of the largest names in industry and film and has left a lasting legacy on some of the most recognisable pieces of future tech.

This book is a collection of his work covering a range of topics and projects he has been involved with over the years. Although sadly out of print and copies fetching ever growing amounts of money these books are well worth the chance to read if you get them.

They have a timeless quality which to me at least evoke dreams of better times both of when the pieces were created but also of the future they aspire to represent. Amazing books and I will be the first one to take them off my brothers hands if he ever wants to get rid of them

[Paul Hartzog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe so few people have reviewed this book. This is one of the greatest science fiction art books by the all-time greatest science fiction art and design master, Syd Mead.

Sentinel is Syd Mead's first real art book full of insightful text and mind-boggling images.

My copy has been used so much by me over the years that it is battered and the spine has come off, but it still provokes and challenges one's creativity so much.

Syd Mead's work continues to inspire designers everywhere even today. Just llook at the recent videogame Alien: Isolation to see what I mean. Some of the designs could've been taken right out of Sentinel.

Art is timeless, and as such, so is this book.

[Michael Bosscha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sentinel is a compelling look in the world of tomorrow, seen as through the eyes of a man who shaped it a great deal. Syd Mead's style is recognisable from a distance, and this book guides you through his earliest sketches to what then was his most recent work. What is great to see is that not only does he work on science fiction illustrations, but also corporate jobs that love his style to show the world what can be in the not too distant future. This book is a must for everyone into not only retro futurism, but science fiction in general. Unfortunately, coming by a copy that is in good condition and affordable is hard, the best chances being searching the second-hand book shops, where one might find a copy for around $20,-. If all else fails, Ebay and Amazon both offer copies around $100,-