Robert Welch: Design: Craft and Industry

by Peter Fiell, Charlotte Fiell

Trained at the Royal College of Art in London where he was a contemporary of David Mellor, Robert Welch was one of the leading British designers of the twentieth century. Strongly influenced both by the artisanal tradition of the Arts and Crafts movement and by Scandinavian Design, he set up his own studio in the mid-1950s, initially working on silverware but then branching out into broader product design. His Alveston tableware range won a Design Council award in 1965 and in the same year he was appointed a Royal Designer for Industry, creating elegant functional designs both for mass production and for one-off commissions. Robert Welch – Craft & Industry traces both the progress of Welch's career and design philosophy and the evolution of the company and products that he created. Lavishly illustrated with exclusive material from the Robert Welch archive, including working sketches and rare archive photography, this is the definitive book on one of the twentieth century's greatest product designers.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2015

About the author

Peter Fiell is a leading authority on the history, theory and criticism of design and, to date, has written 60 books on the subject.

Peter previously studied at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London on its renowned post-graduate 'Works of Art Course".

In 1991, Peter received an MA in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (UAL), London.