The Future That Once Was

Or, where Ed Straker from Gerry Anderson’s UFO, or Dave Bowman from Kubrick’s 2001 would go when they were on leave.

Someone uploaded to Flickr an incredible collection of Syd Mead’s mid-1960s illustrations for US Steel. Much like the aforementioned productions by Kubrick and Anderson, these represent the last gasp of optimistic mid-century American modernism projected a few decades into the future. (In other words, now.)

The full-screen slideshow version is just awesome. Click here and let the Jetsons-meets-Mies vibe wash over you.

(Via Paleo-Future; for my 2001 interview with Mead regarding his design work on a far darker look at the future, click here.)