He attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and studied for his Master's degree.
He then worked in several renowned design offices, including Henry Dreyfuss Associates where he was instrumental in developing early ergonomics, Measure of Man.
Pelly still holds a long term relationship to Art Center, as he was involved as student, teacher, mentor and lecturer.
In 1972 Pelly became founder of DesignworksUSA,[1] today considered by some as one of the top 10 industrial design consultancies in the world.
Pelly was president and CEO until 2000 of the Newbury Park & Munich branches.