Ian Wong

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Ian Wong

Mr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8035-5308
20142022

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Ian Wong is an award winning designer, collector, curator and senior lecturer at Monash University. Ian's research interest is Australian design and he is an expert in the history of industrial design in Australia.

In 2012 he established the Master of Industrial Design program at the Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School (Suzhou) and in 2017 The Monash Art Design and Architecture Industrial Design Centre (Kunshan). In 2021 Ian was appointed as the inauguaral Creative Director of the Alastair Swayn Legacy Showcase. In 2023 Ian was awarded the distingushed Most Outstanding Contribution Award by Monash University for his contribution over ten years to the success of the Monash Suzhou Campus.

Ian publishes online as IspyID and is the author of the blog 'Industrial Design in Victoria' . The Ian Wong Collection is a research archive established by Ian to support his research on Australian industrial design and currently has over 2900 objects. He has curated many international and national design exhibitions and events including:  Light Colour Humanity - The Alastair Swayn Legacy Showcase, 2023, The Victorian Premier's Design Awards Showcase, 2021, EVERYDAY | Ausralian Design 2020, i-CONIC Australian Design 2019, "60 Years of Good Design"  2018, "Innovators - Australian Design and Innovation" 2017 and "BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia" 2015.

Products designed by Ian as a director of EJO Design have ranged from one-off objects like the RMIT University Ceremonial Mace to brain-scanning equipment, Antarctic sleds, and million-dollar high-speed agricultural sorting equipment. Most of the stone fruit in Australia is harvested with the edp Powerladder designed by EJO design. Product ranges designed by Ian like the pak range for Silvan Australia were category first innovations and have been in continuous production since 1989. The Redline range of sprayers are sold in hardware stores all around Australia and New Zealand and most farms in Australia would have a product designed by Ian. The paediatric nebuliser designed by Ian and the Monash Industrial Design Centre (Kunshan) for VAPO is the market leader, has been installed in over 850 hospitals and delivered more than 100 million doses to patients in China. 

Ian was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Design Insitute of Australia in 2023 and is President of Melbourne Movement.  

Exhibitions curated by Ian include:

Health by Design: The Future of Healthcare 
Melbourne Design Week 2024

ICONS Australian Design
Perth Design Week. 2023

Light, Colour, Humanity - The Alastair Swayn Legacy Showcase 
Canberra Museum and Gallery. 2023

Victorian MedTech Showcase - 3D Virtual Tour
Online. 2022

Victorian Premier's Design Awards Showcase 
Melbourne Design Week. 2021
Video link 

EVERYDAY | Australian Design 
Shepparton Art Museum. 2021

Australian Design Index Exhibition - 3D Virtual Tour 
Alastair Swayn Foundation. 2021

100 Objects | Australian Design in the Home.
Robin Boyd Foundation. 2019

i-CONIC - Australian Design 
SASA Gallery University of South Australia. September 2019
Design Tasmania. 2020

DESIGN + Health & Medical Innovation
Kunshan. China. 2019

60 Years of Good Design
Vivid Sydney. June 2018

Innovators - Australian Design and Innovation
Beijing Design Week
Beijing | Melbourne | Chongqing | Shanghai |
2016-2018

BlackBOX - Design and Innovation | Melbourne Australia
Expo Milan
Milan | Prato |Tianjin | Melbourne | Hong Kong | Nanjing | Kunshan | Suzou |
2015-2021

Melbourne Movement - Salone Satellite
Milan 2010-2019

Australian Innovation
Beijing 2013

First Suzhou Industrial Design Exhibition
Suzhou 2013

My Valentine
DIA Design Gallery 2012

Orange - Living in the 70s
DIA Design Gallery 2011

Zmood - Designing Holdens
Melbourne Museum July 2010

175 Years of Victorian Design
State of Design Festival 2010
DIA Design Gallery 2010

STILL09
State of Design Festival
June 2009

Reseach films produced supported by the Robin Boyd Foundation

Michael Simcoe
Cobalt
BlackMagicDesign
Melbourne Museum
Hugo Davidson
Phillip Zmood
Phillip Slattery
Celina Clarke
Su San Cohn
Mary Featherston
Alastair Swayn Legacy Showcase

Apps and digital platforms developed with Dr Indae Hwang

BlackBOX app - ios 2015/android 2017/updated 2021
BlackBOX app- Apple watch
Innovators app - 2017
One Hundred Objects app - 2019
EVERYDAY app - 2020
VPDA Showcase AR experience 2021
Light Colour Humanity - AR experience 2023
Boarding Now - Interactive experience 2024

App design process video


Ian has presented the following events

ICONIC Melbourne Design series
Robin Boyd Froundation
Melbourne Design Week  2021
Design + Conference
MADA Industrial Design Centre (Kunshan)
2019
Design Translations
MADA Industrial Design Centre (Kunshan)
January 2019
Design Branding Workshop
KSITRI Kunshan China.
September 2018
Phillip Slattery - Public Lecture
MADA Industrial Design Centre (Kunshan)
March 2018
Design and Innovation Forum 
Panel: Peter Russell-Clarke, Hugo Davison + Belinda Stening.
Monash Art Design and Architecture 
Melbourne Australia. April 2016
Alberto Alessi - Public Lecture
Deakin Edge, Federation Square.  
Melbourne Australia. November 2015
DIA AM Forum - Engaging China
Panel: Gerry Mussett, Dylan West, Dr Ethan Wang.
RMIT University. June 2014
Phillip Zmood Workshop
2013 Tsinghua International Design Management Symposium.
Shenzen China. December 2013
Mark Armstrong Workshop
2013 Tsinghua International Design Management Symposium.
Shenzen China. December 2013
China-Australia Industrial Design Forum
Design Institute of Australia.
Suzhou China. June 2013
“An Audience with Syd Mead”
RMIT University. March 2010
“Always Inspired” - Tom Matano
RMIT Univeristy. October 2008

Ian has presented the following academic conference papers:

WikID Submissions - DrawingOut April 2010 Melbourne Australia
WikID Ways - ConnectED July 2010 Sydney Australia
WikId Working - agIdeas 2011 Melbourne Australia

Related Links: 

Monash teaching commitment

MDC4010 - Advanced Communication for Industrial Design
TDN4001 - Research methods for Industrial Design
MDC4100 - Major Project (Part One)
MDC5100 - Major Project

Community service

President
Melbourne Movement

China Representative
Design Institute of Australia

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Education/Academic qualification

Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, RMIT University

Award Date: 10 Dec 2009

Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Design, RMIT University

Award Date: 31 Dec 1986

Research area keywords

  • China
  • Design
  • industrial design
  • wikis
  • blended learning
  • e-learning

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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  • 1 Public event
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