Willem (Wim) Gilles (1923-2003) was an industrial designer, teacher and academy director. Born in Alkmaar, Gilles attended the School for Graphical Design. From 1945 to 1947, he worked at a sugar factory in Puttershoek as an assistant engineer, executive secretary and furnishing advisor. He then became designer at the publisher’s Samson from 1947 to 1949. From 1949 to 1953, Gilles worked for DRU, the Royal Diepenbrock & Reigers Factory in Ulft, designing products such as a kettle, heaters and packaging. Gilles then set up his own office and Frans van der Put assisted in the design of various products from 1956 onwards. Gilles was the director of the Eindhoven Academy of Industrial Design from 1970 to 1973, where he taught from 1953-1973. He was also Director of the School of Industrial Design, Carleton University and its Centre for Industrial Design Research in 1985. He retired in 1992 and was appointed Professor Emeritus and an honorary Doctorate of Engineering in 1997.
Gilles was a co-founder of KIO (Association of Industrial Designers). Gilles advocated product analysis and he wrote a brochure on the topic for the Institute for Industrial Design in 1957.