Syd Mead Ultimo

A major retrospective of unseen late-career work by Syd Mead, the legendary futurist whose visionary designs shaped the look and feel of modern science fiction. Syd Mead (1933–2019) was one of the most influential and admired science-fiction designers of all time. Trained as an industrial designer and beginning his career in automotive design, he later transitioned into concept art, producing visionary work that ranged from sprawling futuristic cityscapes to sleek, iconic vehicles. His designs helped define films such as Blade Runner, Tron and Aliens. Since his death in 2019, Mead’s influence has only grown, with the cyberpunk aesthetic he helped shape now more pervasive than ever across music, videogames and digital art. Ultimo brings together an expansive selection of never-before-seen works produced from 1996 until Syd Mead’s death in 2019, including visionary personal projects, contributions to science-fiction landmarks such as Blade Runner 2049, and sleek concept vehicle designs for Ford and Honda. The book also highlights Mead’s significant late-career work in videogames – a medium perfectly suited to his visionary world-building – as a generation of creators raised on his influence rose to prominence and found themselves collaborating with their long-time hero. Mead's self-published monographs (Oblagon, Sentinel, Sentinel II) command high sums on the collector’s market. Ultimo echoes these landmark works in its design approach while expanding on their breadth and editorial depth, resulting in a must-have publication for fans, collectors and admirers of visionary concept art.