This year we celebrate a living designer, David Mellor, CBE, FCSD, RDI. Like the great John Smeaton who began this series, Mellor produced a design that relies upon our perception of light.
In this case it literally dictates the people of England’s movement almost every single day. It is called, amongst other things, the traffic light.
David Mellor, Royal Designer for Industry, is unusual in this country in combining the activities of hands-on craftsman and designer with those of design entrepreneur. He has operated as designer, manufacturer and retailer, seeing the designer’s function as controlling a product through all stages from concept to customer. He has felt it his mission to improve design standards over a broad spectrum, directly affecting very many people’s lives.
Born in Sheffield in 1930, David Mellor trained originally as a silversmith. His Sheffield background gave him a particular affinity with metalwork. This developed onwards from his early years of making one-off pieces of specially commissioned silver, including table silver for British embassies, to the present relatively large scale operation. David Mellor’s well known ranges of stainless steel and silver cutlery are now manufactured in his own purpose-built factory in Derbyshire. Within the factory Mellor’s concern for the craftsmen within led to the introduction of new working practices. Whereas workers in the Sheffield cutlery industry have always specialised in a single operation, he introduced a new system whereby his cutlery makers rotate from task to task, increasing job satisfaction through a sense of involvement in the project as a whole. Following the design of the building the employees stopped being cutlers and became builders creating the principle wooden structures that would form the roof of the Round House.
The interior of the building is bathed in natural light to provide the perfect environment to perform craft skills of the highest standards. Many of the machines within the factory have been redesigned and modified by the same cutlers in order to perform specific tasks required of Davids designs.
David Mellor Design operates on the simple principle that well-designed equipment can improve your life.
David Mellor cutlery is manufactured in a purpose-designed modern factory in the Peak District National Park. The Round Building, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, has won numerous architectural awards.
David Mellor was elected Royal Designer for Industry in 1962. He was Chairman of the Crafts Council 1982-4 and a Trustee of the Victoria & Albert Museum 1983-8. He holds Hon. Doctorates from the University of Sheffield, De Montfort University, Sheffield Hallam University, Loughborough University and the Royal College of Art.
Appointed OBE in 1981, and CBE in 2001.
Other notable designs.
1966 Square pillar box
Cast iron
Commissioned by the
Post Office. The design aroused controversy as a departure from the traditional pillar box.
1971 ‘Eclipse’ Saw and hacksaw frame
Part of a large range of Mellor’s designs for the leading Sheffield tool manufacturers, James Neill.
2005 ‘Pride’ Stainless steel
David Mellor’s earliest and most famous cutlery is now available in hand- finished, mirror polished stainless steel.
“For me, in all aspects of my activity, from the architecture of our buildings, the selection of products for my shops, down to the choice of the right rivets for my cutlery, to aim for the highest visual standards has been paramount, and perfecting this skill has been one of the main aims of my life as a designer.”
Working practices within Wilson Benesch follow the same principles as those of Mellor with staff being involved in some way in every aspect of the company from design concepts through to finished product. Within the company there exists a huge range of processes that begin with raw materials and conclude with the finished product. We believe this to be almost unique in today’s audio industry. A multi-skilled group of people are engaged in many and extremely varied tasks but with recognised responsibilities in terms of key products. Like David Mellor the company enjoys an exemplary standard, that is well above average, staff retention level.
