W. H. (William Henry) Mayall CEng, AFRAeS (1923–1998) was an engineer and designer. He is also noted for his theories about design, about which he wrote and lectured extensively. As the development of design methodology emerged in the 1960s, Mayall became one of the first to emphasise the relevance of industrial design and the importance of design in technology. His archive is located at the University of Brighton Design Archives.

Career

Early career

Mayall began his engineering career as a technical assistant for Heenan and Froude Ltd in their experimental department. He continued to work on experimental mechanical projects when he moved to Flight Refuelling Ltd. In 1947, Mayall joined Tiltman Langley Laboratories Ltd. based at Redhill Aerodrome, undertaking mechanical research and development work. It was in this role that Mayall became concerned with broadening the function of engineering design.

Council of Industrial Design

In 1959 Mayall moved to the

Council of Industrial Design The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom charity incorporated by Royal Charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better". It was instrumental in the prom ...

where he was responsible for encouraging improvements to

capital goods The economic concept of a capital good (also called complex product systems (CoPS),H. Rush, "Managing innovation in complex product systems (CoPS)," IEE Colloquium on EPSRC Technology Management Initiative (Engineering & Physical Sciences Researc ...

. Mayall wrote articles and books, liaised with industry and mounted conferences and exhibitions such as More Value by Design. He presented papers at a variety of engineering conferences around the world, both on the design task, and role of the industrial designer in that task. Mayall was struck by the contrast between the practice of engineering and design and the 'design establishment', finding the latter to be elitist and divisive. He went on to become Senior Projects Officer at the renamed Design Council.

Design Promotion Projects

Mayall retired from the Design Council in 1979, and under the name of Design Promotion Projects, he undertook independent design education and exhibition work. He also continued to write about his frustrations with the Design Council's approach to certain task, alongside his alternative vision for it.

Design Theory

Machines and Perception in Industrial Design

In his role as senior industrial officer for capital goods at the Council of Industrial Design, Mayall argued for early consideration of ergonomics and industrial design in product development. In his 1968 book ''Machines and Perception in Industrial Design'', Mayall identified the dangers and difficulties created for machine operators by the increasing complexity of modern machines and examined the development of the "machine aesthetic" against social, technical and marketing factors. He also believed that organizing machines into coherent visual fields would help prevent accidents.

More Value by Design

The More Value by Design conferences organized by Mayall, were intended to provide a forum for senior engineers to review the whole process of design in engineering from its fundamental aspects. "Firstly, the engineering industries must do much more homework, particularly at a management level, to achieve more value by design," he said.

Principles in Design

Mayall’s ten principles in design (''Principles in Design'' (1979)) have been cited as an unofficial design canon and continue to be used in discussions of contemporary design. Mayall’s ten principles are totality, time, value, resources, synthesis, iteration, change, relationships, competence and service.

Role of the Designer

Mayall also believed that the designer was part of the change process; the ‘mastermind; that can initiate change with the type of products created.

Accreditation

Mayall was a chartered engineer ( CEng) and an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (AFRAeS).Artists' Papers Register
- accessed August 2015

Bibliography

* ''Industrial Design for Engineers'', London: Iliffe Books, 1967, * ''Machines and Perception in Industrial Design'', London: Studio Vista, 1968, * ''More Value by Design'', London: Council for Industrial Design, 1971 * ''Principles in Design'', London: Design Council, 1979, * ''The Challenge of the Chip'', London: HMSO/Science Museum, 1980 * ''Design Matters'', London: Design Council, 1985,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayall, WH 1998 deaths 1923 births British industrial designers English engineers 20th-century British engineers