Not currently on display at the V&A

Cup

ca. 1967 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Martyn Rowlands trained at the Central School in London. He specialised in plastics. He was one of the first trained industrial designers to work with British industry after the Second World War. He worked first for Bakelite Ltd, then set up the design department at Ekco Plastics, where his products won a number of design awards. In 1959 he left Ekco to work as an independent design consultant. This was at a time when the idea of the design consultancy in Britain was still in its infancy. One important commission in 1966 was the popular telephone known as the ‘Trimphone’, which won a Design Council Award. Rowlands also designed disposable meal trays, cutlery and tableware for the transport industry - both British European Airways (BEA, 1967) and British Rail.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Moulded styrene
Brief description
White plastic stacker cup with ring handle, moulded styrene, designed by Martyn Rowlands about 1967 and made by Cosmocord Ltd. for BEA, England
Physical description
White plastic stacker cup with ring handle, moulded styrene. BEA logo moulded into design.
Dimensions
  • Height: 4.6cm
  • Width: 9.7cm
  • Diameter: 7.5cm
Credit line
Given by the designer
Summary
Martyn Rowlands trained at the Central School in London. He specialised in plastics. He was one of the first trained industrial designers to work with British industry after the Second World War. He worked first for Bakelite Ltd, then set up the design department at Ekco Plastics, where his products won a number of design awards. In 1959 he left Ekco to work as an independent design consultant. This was at a time when the idea of the design consultancy in Britain was still in its infancy. One important commission in 1966 was the popular telephone known as the ‘Trimphone’, which won a Design Council Award. Rowlands also designed disposable meal trays, cutlery and tableware for the transport industry - both British European Airways (BEA, 1967) and British Rail.
Bibliographic reference
Penny Sparke: "Consultant Design: The History and Practice of the Designer in Industry", Pembridge Press, 1983
Collection
Accession number
C.68-2003

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Record createdMarch 15, 2004
Record URL
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