Stuart Medley - Edith Cowan University (original) (raw)

Papers by Stuart Medley

Is there such a thing as ‘Australian comics’?

Journal of graphic novels & comics, Jan 2, 2021

ABSTRACT This is the introduction to a special issue of the Journal featuring the academic papers... more ABSTRACT This is the introduction to a special issue of the Journal featuring the academic papers from the Australian Comics Symposium at the inaugural Perth Comic Arts Festival (PCAF), 2018. The symposium’s call for papers focused on comics as the products of Australian culture(s). This introduction gives historical context for Australian comics. Australian comics makers have established their identity on the international stage throughout the 20th Century and into the present. Notable are May Gibbs, Yaroslav Horak, Nicola Scott, Tom Taylor and Shaun Tan, among many. Articles in the issue describe a literary workshop for the graphic novel; working with university students new to the medium of graphic novels; close readings of Shaun Tan’s The Arrival and Pat Grant’s Blue, and the work of Tommi Parrish; and finally, the application of comics in legal contracts.

The Picture in Design: What Graphic Designers, Art Directors and Illustrators Should Know About Communicating With Pictures

Common Ground Research Networks eBooks, Dec 1, 2012

Pictures are as vital to graphic design as type, yet graphic design theories barely give them a l... more Pictures are as vital to graphic design as type, yet graphic design theories barely give them a look. The seemingly unconscious nature of the act of seeing has meant that vision and pictures have been taken for granted. Finally, here is a way for graphic designers to understand pictures. This book explains the paradox that we are able to communicate more accurately through less accurately rendered images. There is a difference in the way pictures communicate depending on their realism quotient. The removal of realistic detail by the designer or illustrator allows for other aspects to be emphasized in or imposed upon the image; such as line, shape, colour, and orientation. These attributes in turn accentuate relationships that are less apparent in realistic images. This book explains the psychology behind why this is the case. This book will help designers, art directors and illustrators to defend their pictorial decision to clients. It will allow design teachers to explain image choice to students. The research expressed in this book can be applied across the gamut of visual design; from precise, data –based graphics and instructional design, through to expressive illustration and animation graphics

Mobile map applications and the democratisation of hazard information

The geospatial web --- exemplified by the popularity of Google Maps --- has democratised the acce... more The geospatial web --- exemplified by the popularity of Google Maps --- has democratised the accessibility of geospatial data that was previously available only to those with expertise in GIS (Geographic information systems). This increased accessibility has resulted in critical information---such as the location of bushfires in Australia --- being made more accessible to communities vulnerable to such risks. This paper reports on the findings of a research project in Australia that aimed to present near real-time bushfire information in an interface that community-based users found intuitive and easy to use. It also describes the early prototype stages of an iPhone application that aims to demonstrate how Japanese natural hazard data can be presented in a more intuitive way. The work described here is intended to encourage organisations and individuals presenting spatial hazard information to non-expert users to consider the needs, abilities and concerns of their intended audience. It also describes the technologies and processes used in the design and development of the MyFireWatch and Mapping Hazards in Japan applications.

As our institution expands its international offerings it is increasingly important to be able to... more As our institution expands its international offerings it is increasingly important to be able to communicate with intelligent and able people who have not had much exposure to learning in English. It has been difficult however to communicate verbally due to the low English proficiency of international clients and lack of language skills on the part of the Australian participants. This experience in international communication has highlighted the need for alternative methods of communicating information. In communicating with the students from a Japanese university I found that using diagrams and sketches worked well for example, in creating a cartoon of the process needed to carry out an assignment, such as research in books, asking questions and testing out designs on users. The students also produced visuals to describe their experiences and thinking. The approach has also been used with postgraduate local students and has developed further dimensions that are proving valuable. This paper explains some of the directions taken in introducing visual communication with international clients and explores the ways the approach accords with research into compensatory communication strategies, in particular, communicating with pictures. The value of visual communication in intercultural and international contexts is demonstrated.

Human-computer interaction series, 2020

While many modern cultures around the world appreciate 'cuteness', few empirical studies have bee... more While many modern cultures around the world appreciate 'cuteness', few empirical studies have been conducted on the kinds of responses cuteness evokes. This chapter explores the results of two studies to examine people's perceptions and preferences regarding cute aesthetics. The first study investigated 2D online gambling aesthetics in video games and compared cute versus non-cute imagery of a croupier and a treasure chest. A total of 37 adults participated in this online experiment, which featured open and closed question items. The adult participants (n=17) who took part in the second study were shown a video of a 3D ambient media device, called Fuji-chan, designed to provide information about the meteorological conditions on, and the volcanic activity of, Mount Fuji in Japan. Participants were then invited to answer questions related to the perceived cuteness, information usefulness and importance of the Fuji-chan device. The findings of both studies show that an aesthetic design that follows the principles of cuteness does not guarantee that the imagery is perceived as such, and that the content of the imagery determines whether people evaluated cuteness at a sensory, aesthetic level or whether they attached a symbolic, situated meaning to it. We call on future work to elaborate a clear operationalisation of what constitutes cuteness, at both linguistic operational and aesthetic levels, and further this preliminary work on how people's perceptions of and responses to cuteness in interaction depend on the context.

Bridging the gap: scenario-based design as a solution for delayed access to users. In

Discerning pictures: how we look at and understand images in comics

Studies in Comics, Apr 1, 2010

Proceedings, Mar 27, 2018

There are assumptions about images and how these compare with words, in terms of what is afforded... more There are assumptions about images and how these compare with words, in terms of what is afforded us in communicating with each other. These assumptions have been limited by religion and economic imperatives in the past, and by education systems that grew out of those vested interests. One way to push past these assumptions might be to imagine a world without writing. Some science fiction examples are examined for their feasibility. In addition, the reader is reminded of humanity's pre-writing past, and that pictures that survived from then are viewed through our present contextual lenses as containing a childlike view of the universe. This view has not been helped in western history by hundreds of years of monotheism and its vested interest in framing earlier belief systems as perverse. The origins of writing however, were completely bound up with accounting for production, for tax collecting and distribution, with specialization into occupations: the beginnings of the organized state. Could a future of pictures-only give us the deliberate communication we'd need for these exchanges or is that also science fiction? The major assumption to overcome is that the dependability of words anchors the waywardness of pictures. This paper shows some quotidian examples of picture-only communications which do not invite ambiguous or vague interpretations, and examples are given where pictures can disambiguate words. The future is most likely to witness the further compression of writing, not its total eradication; it is likely that the co-presence of writing and pictures makes for clearest communication. How would communicators be trained to be productive members of such a world? Research into style, pattern recognition and comprehension are necessary to further break down the historical assumptions about what constitutes good depiction. We need to break the spell of visual realism; to see it as only one of many choices for capturing the image, and to see the schema that make pictures up as components that can be taken apart and reassembled. The paper concludes with some examples of science-fiction curricula given to design students to broaden their thinking about the future potential for visual communications.

International Journal of Asia Digital Art and Design, 2016

Contents ･Original Article A paper in this category has to be a logical and empirical report of t... more Contents ･Original Article A paper in this category has to be a logical and empirical report of the study, the review and the proposal by the author on the issue of digital art and design based on media technology. It also has to include the novelty and academic values which can be shared with ADADA members or the people who study digital art and design. Number of pages: 6-10 ･Art Paper A paper in this category has to consist of the author's practice, result and expository writing on the field of digital art and design. It also has to have the originality in its concepts, methods, expression techniques and making process, and the result should have some values which can be shared with ADADA members or the people who study digital art and design.

Making visible: Illustration through identification, categorization, and metaphor

Fly-in-fly-out: Designing a better fly-in-fly-out lifestyle in Western Australia

Description: FIFO (fly-in/fly-out) refers to the lifestyle of workers who leave home to stay in a... more Description: FIFO (fly-in/fly-out) refers to the lifestyle of workers who leave home to stay in a designated camp, mainly mine sites, for a period of time, and are back at home for a short period of time before repeating the process again. The increase in FIFO work patterns has exposed more Western Australian families to the repeated and cyclical absence of parents who adopt this mode of paid employment. FIFO families can experience loneliness, isolation, resentment, and difficulty readjusting to the frequent and repeated parting and reunions. Anecdotal evidence suggests the FIFO lifestyle causes relationship problems for couples, excessive alcohol use and drug use by workers, and increase risk of suicide. This project focused on the development of effect communication pathways and platforms to assist families with FIFO parents(s)/partner to better manage the challenges associated with the FIFO lifestyle, and to help individuals or families that are planning to take up a FIFO lifestyle to understand and assess the potential situations. Addressing challenges facing FIFO communities, this project aimed to introduce a design-thinking process as a series of holistic strategies to define problems. develop and prototype ideas, and propose implementation pathways

Beyond problem solving: A framework to teach design as an experiment in the university environment

The norm of teaching design as a problem-solving agent is causing design to be perceived as the l... more The norm of teaching design as a problem-solving agent is causing design to be perceived as the linear production of artefacts that aims to solve identified problems. This design approach, while having its own merit in the commercial world, is limiting design from contributing to the larger community issues that are becoming complex. This paper presents the on-going exploration of teaching design as an experimental agent at Edith Cowan University’s School of Communication and Arts. Discussing examples of student work that surround real life social and health care issues, this paper suggests a framework that is embedded with observations, uncertainty, and imagination as the foundation to design education. This framework may offer strategies for improving infrastructure and government policies in Trinidad & Tobago

Mechanical Elephant by Stuart Medley

A social application of infographics

... ECU Publications. Title. A Social Application of Infographics. ...

Truth Mirror: A Display of Emotion

Old School, New School, Truetype School

ERA Trial 2009, 2007

The Blurred Vision of the Modernists (Poster)

This year, the 5th edition of CONFIA, the International Conference on Illustration and Animation,... more This year, the 5th edition of CONFIA, the International Conference on Illustration and Animation, will make place in Guimarães, the city considered to be the "birthplace" of Portugal. Guimarães is one of Portugal's most important historical cities. Its historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has without a doubt made it one of the main tourist destinations in northern Portugal. Its narrow streets and medieval monuments breathe history, enchant tourists, and represent an exceptionally well preserved portrait of the evolution of a medieval town to a modern city. This is thanks in large part to modern Guimarães' recognition of the importance of carefully complementing history and the city's heritage with the dynamism, creativity, and boldness characteristic of modern cities. With this strategy, Guimarães earned the 2012 title of European Capital of Culture, an event that permanently transformed the city. It has also recently been highlighted as one of 41 places to visit by the New York Times, which described it as one of the up-and-coming Iberian cities in terms of culture. With all this in mind, we're proud to present this edition in the magni icent Vila Flor Cultural Center of Guimarães, a large complex that combines a restored 19th-century Baroque palace and gardens with a contemporary building that houses an impressive performance space. In this privileged location for art and culture in the city, we're bringing together about a hundred conference participants from various countries, connected to the areas of illustration and animation, with articles that stand out for their great quality. Once more, we'll ill an auditorium and a conference room with academic debate, knowledge, and practical creative experience. This year, we're welcoming very prestigious keynote speakers-director and artist Joan Ashworth and art director Jorge Silva-and a panel that includes Pedro Serrazina, Peter Chanthanakone, and Rose Bond. Every year, we embrace this challenge hoping to do better than the year before. We're quite certain that it'll be dif icult to beat this edition, though, in terms of not just quality but also the critical mass that has gathered as well as the location and setting.