David Mellor Design was established by David Mellor, a Royal Designer for Industry, and a central figure in post-war British design. Trained as a silversmith in Sheffield, his work was focused on metalwork, with cutlery as a primary area of development. He was commissioned by the Department of the Environment to design the 1966 national traffic light system, still in use throughout the UK. 

Today, the company continues under the direction of his son, Corin Mellor, maiming the same focus on function, material, and manufacturing.