A. H. Woodfull
Encyclopedia
Albert Henry "Woody" Woodfull (17 September 1912 – 24 June 2011) was an English
product design
er. Laying down many of the ground rules of industrial design
in plastics while heading British Industrial Plastics' Product Design Unit, his work had international influence.
Woodfull was born in Birmingham
and trained as a silversmith
at the Vittoria Street School of Jewellery and Silversmithing before studying product design
at the Birmingham School of Art
. In 1934 he was appointed to British Industrial Plastics (BIP) as a product designer at their Streetly
factory. His brief from the managing director was to "bring art to an artless industry", and his early work was largely in packaging, where designs such as his Ardath Cigarette Box of 1935 showed strong Art Deco
influences and have become highly collectable.
After World War II
he produced notable promotional material for Cadbury's, but increasingly focussed on tableware
, designing the classic Beetleware range in urea formaldehyde in 1946.
Woodfull visited the United States in 1948 to investigate the newly developed melamine formaldehyde material, whose greater water resistance was to lead it briefly to threaten ceramics as the dominant material in tableware
.
In 1951 Woodfull was appointed to head BIP's newly-formed Product Design Unit, where he was to remain until his retirement in 1970. As well as developing designs for BIP itself, the unit's Design Advisory Service aimed to provide design consultancy to companies developing products in plastics, with the aim of improving the public's perception of the quality of plastic products and increasing demand for BIP's materials. As a result Woodfull and the team he built up were responsible to some degree for most of the designs for tableware in melamine that developed in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Gaydon and Melaware ranges that are now recognised as being among the pinnacles of 1960s plastics design.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
product design
Product design
-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
er. Laying down many of the ground rules of industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
in plastics while heading British Industrial Plastics' Product Design Unit, his work had international influence.
Woodfull was born in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and trained as a silversmith
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
at the Vittoria Street School of Jewellery and Silversmithing before studying product design
Product design
-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
at the Birmingham School of Art
Birmingham School of Art
The Birmingham School of Art was a municipal art school based in the centre of Birmingham, England. Although the organisation was absorbed by Birmingham Polytechnic in 1971 and is now part of Birmingham City University's Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, its Grade I listed building on...
. In 1934 he was appointed to British Industrial Plastics (BIP) as a product designer at their Streetly
Streetly
Streetly is an area which lies mainly in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, England around 8 miles to the north of Birmingham. Streetly lies on the border of Birmingham and Walsall and is part of the West Midlands conurbation. It is adjacent to Aldridge, Sutton Coldfield, Great Barr and Four...
factory. His brief from the managing director was to "bring art to an artless industry", and his early work was largely in packaging, where designs such as his Ardath Cigarette Box of 1935 showed strong Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
influences and have become highly collectable.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he produced notable promotional material for Cadbury's, but increasingly focussed on tableware
Tableware
Tableware is the dishes or dishware , dinnerware , or china used for setting a table, serving food, and for dining. Tableware can be meant to include flatware and glassware...
, designing the classic Beetleware range in urea formaldehyde in 1946.
Woodfull visited the United States in 1948 to investigate the newly developed melamine formaldehyde material, whose greater water resistance was to lead it briefly to threaten ceramics as the dominant material in tableware
Tableware
Tableware is the dishes or dishware , dinnerware , or china used for setting a table, serving food, and for dining. Tableware can be meant to include flatware and glassware...
.
In 1951 Woodfull was appointed to head BIP's newly-formed Product Design Unit, where he was to remain until his retirement in 1970. As well as developing designs for BIP itself, the unit's Design Advisory Service aimed to provide design consultancy to companies developing products in plastics, with the aim of improving the public's perception of the quality of plastic products and increasing demand for BIP's materials. As a result Woodfull and the team he built up were responsible to some degree for most of the designs for tableware in melamine that developed in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Gaydon and Melaware ranges that are now recognised as being among the pinnacles of 1960s plastics design.