Phillip Zmood

  • Designer
Zmood is an industrial designer, graduating from RMIT, then taking a design position with GM Holden. After 1968, he was a team manager developing the HQ range of vehicles. From 1978, he worked for Opel, Germany, returning to Melbourne in 1983 to become the first Australian Director of Design, GM Holden. He retired in 2002.

Focus on the Phillip Zmood collection.
Taken from http://www.designcollection.rmit.edu.au/?_ga=1.240732741.718713644.1425348515#imu%5Bbrowse=enarratives.16%5Dimu[browse=enarratives.16]

This focus on the Phillip Zmood Collection is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Shifting Gear Design, Innovation and the Australian Car, co-curated by Harriet Edquist, Director RMIT Design Archives, at the National Gallery of Victoria, 6 March – 12 July 2015.

Phillip Zmood was studying industrial design in RMIT’s Building 2 in the early 1960s when he entered a drawing into the British Carriage and Automobile Manufacturer’s automobile body design competition. The original drawing of the Gannet 1000, which won the competition, is among many of the works he donated to the RMIT Design Archives.

Zmood started working at GM Holden in 1965 as a staff designer. He was promoted to assistant chief designer in 1966 and here played a role in designing some of the key components of the HK through HG Monaros. From 1968 he managed a team of 100 staff who developed the HQ Monaro range of vehicles, which displays his distinctive styling and detailing.

From 1969 to 1978 Zmood was chief designer at GMH’s Torana design studio, leading the team responsible for designing the LJ, LH and LX Toranas. After working in Germany at Opel as chief designer, Zmood returned to Melbourne and, in 1983, was appointed as the first Australian Director of Design at GM Holden.

In 2002 Zmood retired from GMH and established his own design consultancy, Euro Design Associates.

Writers:

Michael Bogle
Date written:
2015
Last updated:
2015