The Ekco AD-65 was a radical design for a radio. Although the working parts of radios were fairly standard, their wooden cabinets had been built by hand, often to look like pieces of furniture. Wells Coates was commissioned by a radio manufacturer to design a case that could be moulded in plastic. The round shape of the AD-65 was startlingly modern and could not have been made easily from wood. The case was easy to mould, economical on materials and cheap to make. The design highlights the speaker and tuning dial, as sound quality and the range of available stations were considered especially important in the radio market.

Coates was a leading designer. He designed textiles, interior fittings, yachts, aircraft interiors, clocks and radios, as well as buildings. He designed the modern interiors for the BBC Broadcasting House, London, a few years before his radio design. His key building of this period is the Lawn Road Flats, Hampstead, London, where he applied the ideas of crisp, uncluttered looks to the design of living space. Where possible he used new materials and standardized units.