Congratulations to Professor William Ion

Recipient of the Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education

The 1851 Royal Commission and the Sir Misha Black Awards Committee have announced the recipients of the 2025 Sir Misha Black Awards for Design Education, celebrating outstanding contributions to innovation, leadership, and lifelong impact in the field. We are delighted to share that Design Society Fellow Professor William IonDesign Society Fellow Professor William Ion has been awarded the honour.

Professor Ion has been a central figure in design education for over three decades and played a pivotal role within the Design Society. He played a key role in establishing the Design Education Special Interest Group (DESIG) and co-founded the Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE) Conference, which has since grown into one of the leading international forums for design education research and pedagogy. Through these initiatives, Bill has helped shape generations of educators, fostered interdisciplinary exchange, and strengthened the global design education community.

His sustained commitment to advancing design pedagogy, building collaborative networks, and supporting the Design Society’s educational mission makes this recognition especially meaningful. We warmly congratulate Bill on this well-deserved honour.

On their website the 1851 Royal Commission and the Sir Misha Black Awards Committee stated:

"For over 35 years, Professor William Ion has shaped design education in the UK and internationally, establishing Product Design Engineering as a discipline that unites engineering design, industrial design, and manufacturing.

Early in his career, he co-developed and taught the groundbreaking Total Design course at the University of Strathclyde (1986–1991) with Professor Stuart Pugh, attracting over 300 students weekly from across engineering disciplines and setting new standards for interdisciplinary collaboration. 

He went on to found the MEng Product Design Engineering programme in 1991, which remains the flagship course of Strathclyde’s Department of Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management (DMEM). Professor Ion also played a key role in the Sharing Experience in Engineering Design (SEED) network and the establishment of the Design Education Special Interest Group (DESIG) within the Design Society, co-founding the influential E&PDE Conference, now a global annual event. 

Beyond education, he has been central to manufacturing innovation as founding Director of the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) and part of the team that established the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and the establishment of its Manufacturing Skills Academy, with a focus on lifelong learning."

Further details are available on the 1851 Royal Commission website.