Phillip Zmood - DIA membership letter 1963

The current exhibition 'my valentine' celebrates the design of products for the modern office and an era of shorthand, carbon paper and paper clips. Letters typed in triplicate by highly skilled typist without an undo key.

This letter dated 3rd October 1963 from the RMIT Design Archives collection is a wonderful reminder of this time and allows me to focus yet again on the history of industrial design in Victoria.

Phillip Zmood is a graduate from RMIT industrial design and this letter represents his first recognition by the Industrial Design Institute of Australia of his qualifications as an industrial designer. Phillip would go on to be the first Australian head of Design at General Motors Holden and a Hall of Fame member of the Design Institute of Australia. The exhibition Zmood - Designing Holdens at Melbourne Museum in 2010 featured the career of Phillip Zmood.

Detail of manually typed letter to a young RMIT alumnus Phillip Zmood.

Phillip Zmood sketches concepts for Holden cars in the GMH studio at Fisherman's Bend early in his career.

Letter from the Industrial Design Institute of Australia confirming student membership of Phillip Zmood. Oct 3rd 1963.