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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Summary.............................................................................................................................................. 2 1.1 1.2 2 Background .................................................................................................................................. 2 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 3
Argument ............................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Background .................................................................................................................................. 5 More Recently ............................................................................................................................. 5 How it Happened ......................................................................................................................... 5 Why is digital technology important to the artist? ..................................................................... 6
3 4
Literature Review ................................................................................................................................ 7 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................... 9 4.1 4.2 Researchers Role ...................................................................................................................... 12 Industry validations and guidance............................................................................................. 13
5 6
SUMMARY
This thesis will investigate and define future concepts in technology and the use of expressive Natural User Interfaces (NUI) for connecting humans to their traditional creative tools and techniques. It critically investigates the various predictions that are routinely made by industry about the way humans might creatively express themselves in the foreseeable future. The thesis will be presented as an online interactive documentary in multi-touch format, combining the candidates research and studio work with interviews and demonstrations from the worlds leading innovators and practitioners.
1.1 Background
Creating harmony between people and technology with sophisticated tools that are natural to use and people-friendly has been the corporate vision for the worlds leading Natural User Interface developer Wacom for the past 25 years. Wa in Japanese actually means harmony, and in the early 1980s they pioneered the development of the first cordless and battery-free pen tablets a brand new way of working with computers that opened up fresh, creative possibilities. Graphic artists around the world immediately prized the tablets user-friendly interface and versatility. To this day, the tablet is considered by many artists to be a must-have in the world of digital graphics. Wacoms CEO Masahiko Yamada and other pioneers of Natural User Interface technologies (including Bill Buxton, Chief Scientist at Microsoft, Duncan Brinsmead, Chief Scientist at Autodesk, and others listed under (4.2 Industry Advisors list) have all agreed to assist me in providing validation and guidance through a maze of emerging technologies, applications and development methodologies in the field of user interface technologies. User Centred Design methodology has become central to the way software and web applications are considered, and yet technology constantly leads the push for user adoption instead of firstly focusing on an understanding of the human requirements. What of the elderly who would like to use a product like Skype to keep in touch with family and friends? The software interface (originally designed for a different audience) is overly complicated and nothing like their experience of using a regular telephone. The same applies to many fine artists who see computers and graphics software as nothing more than a means to promote and publish their work and not a
means of creating it. As Masahiko Yamada speculates, the nature of computing in the next 25 years is not at all certain: Looking 25 years out into the future, I think computer products and computer technology will become really just like air conditioners and general appliances of today and so people wont notice the information flowing. All communication will be in real time anywhere you go. Whatever you do you can be connected at all times and not disrupt your privacy or efficiency. Computers and technology will become real life-supporting tools, but not in a way to control or disrupt the way people live and enjoy life. So we dont know if we are making pens in 25 years and we dont even know if there will be any big name companies still out there at that time when hardware has become just navigation devices, or interactive tools and software have become just services. So we are seeing huge changes in the industry coming. Eventually people wont talk about computers anymore. I dont really know what lies up ahead, who knows, but I do know its likely to be very exciting for all of us.1 Based on insights given in this interview, it's apparent that the notion of hardware and software development being two separate technology silos is rapidly becoming obsolete with innovations like Apples iPhone and iPad tipping the scales towards natural interaction. Microsofts Kinect interface for their Xbox 360 seems a perfect corporate example of putting human interaction first and seeing how technology and applications can be developed around the experience.
Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/33763172/Art-of-Making-Marks-Book Source: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/guthrie/2010/03-16mixday2.mspx Microsoft Research at MIX10. Mandalay Bay Hotel Las Vegas, Nev. March 16, 2010 Accessed May 28, 2011
2
ARGUMENT
Most creative fields have either embraced technology fully or are at some point of convergence with their legacy techniques and skill sets. (See Appendices Diagram A) I have discussed this concept in many international forums and it has been validated by world leading innovators and practitioners. (4.2 Industry validation and guidance). To fine artists however, digital tools are still a long way from being of any real interest or acceptable as being capable of creative, fluid human expression. To the Hollywood concept artist or Japanese game designer, this may not be the case, and their digital work is often informed by a painting and drawing practice.
My argument is that one day this will not be the case. In the not too distant future we will have devices that can respond to our emotions and convey our expressions through physical and digital means. These tools will look a whole lot different to what we currently have today because they will meet our individual human needs and not just be a general fit for the masses. Technology will be like turning on a tap take as much or as little as you want, and mix it with whatever you feel like then try it on for size. Dont like it then try someone elses recipe.
In the past, user interfaces have been made for mass production and the result has been a succession of mostly unintuitive devices. We reverse engineer our tools, retro fit our skills and often have to painfully acquire new skills just to get the job done. Based on new approaches to industrial design, software and hardware engineering and the constant evolution towards ubiquitous technology, a different type of NUI will emerge. This will be drawn out and presented by materials gleaned in the interviews and research examples that I am uniquely positioned to navigate, investigate, evaluate, summarise and define into a view of the new and exciting field of NUI in emerging innovation. I will articulate clearly a narrative that cuts a human path through the complexities of science and technology and contribute to global knowledge by connecting the dots where others can only see the spaces.
2.1 Background
Expressive mark making is a primal human urge, demonstrated from ancient cave paintings through to the great works of modern times. To illustrate ideas and emotions, to communicate, and to document have been primary motivators for mark making over the centuries. We have strived to interpret the world using tools and techniques that continue to evolve, and so great movements in culture and art history can be attributed in part to breakthroughs in science and innovation. Vibrant, fast drying pigments paved the way for the Impressionists to render their perceptions of the world in new ways. Photography provided greater understanding into visual perception, movement, 3D form, optical perspective and so on.
It takes a long time to really incorporate new user interface concepts and improvements into software products, because the software developers have already covered the market and have to provide many features for the industry such as ease of use and intuitiveness, combined with powerful computing capabilities and all nicely packed into a seamless product. So today we have a large number of what we might call legacy human interfaces. In the future our human interface experience may well be completely different.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Bill Buxton (Principal Researcher at Microsoft) is a recognised authority on developing innovative NUI solutions and who appears on many of the original white papers submitted concerning early concepts in NUI and multi-touch technology. He proposes3 that the following four attributes should be considered when developing successful NUI solutions: 1. Motor Sensory Skills, 2. Cognitive Skills, 3. Social Context, 4. Emotional Responses.
These concepts have informed my literature investigation and prompted me to read seemingly unrelated subject matter, which has led me down a path of enquiry to find the work of Malcolm McCullough. 4 He investigates the relationship between hand, mind and craft in a digital age, and considers the skills redundancy that subsequently occurs from every great step in innovation.. He takes the word Craft 5 on a journey through time in order for it to be reinvented in the digital arena. I find this helps me bridge conceptually the notion of the transference of traditional to digital skills and what that means when translated into a new context and medium 6. There is a vast collection of knowledge available on Interface Development, User Centred Design, Usability Engineering, Interaction Design, etc., however the field that I have described is relatively unexplored in the literature. Although I have been immersed professionally in the subject matter for many years, I often think that it has now become general knowledge, however this appears not to be the case. After taking a step back and looking objectively from the general publics perception (and even more importantly from the fine artists perspective), it certainly is not.
Source: http://www.daimi.au.dk/~kortbek/web/Publications/kinesthetic-interaction-fogtmann.pdf Dec 8-12 Dec, 2008 Cairns, QLD Australia. Accessed 28 May, 2011. 4 Mc Cullough, V. 1998, Abstracting Craft: The Practical Digital Hand 5 Mc Cullough, V. 1998, Abstracting Craft: The Practical Digital Hand pp. 29. 6 Mc Cullough, V. 1998, Abstracting Craft: The Practical Digital Hand Chapter 7 Medium pp. 193.
Since writing the book Art of Making Marks7 three years ago, I have learnt a great deal more through practical and theoretical investigation and exposure to the global expressive NUI fields that I have come in contact with as an executive at Wacom. I have attended conferences and been exposed to many presentations from academics, read their papers and met with leading digital industry innovators. My collected findings are stored and categorised at my blog: Art of Wa.com 8 My reading list (5.References) though comprehensive still only explains where we are now. The information I seek and the insights I wish to gain are bouncing around in research labs, being presented as papers in conferences, discussed online and in cafs all around the world. This thesis will capture those thoughts, make sense of the technical babble and bring clarity to a field that will all make sense eventually when we look back on it in another 25 years.
7 8
METHODOLOGY
The following qualitative research approaches, methods of investigation and data analysis will be employed in this study, as the subject matter is speculative and innovative in nature.
1.
YouTube Linkedin and Facebook Groups and other social sources reposted at www.artofwa.com for peer review and feedback.
2.
comprehensive array of global experts specialising in various fields of technology and computer sciences, encouraging discussions on future speculation and predictions.
3.
sculptors, Videographers, etc. from digital and non digital creative disciplines following a semi-structured set of questions. Responses recorded, transcribed, summarised and framed into a table for coding, cross reference and analysis, capturing instructional examples and demonstrations on video as a visual reference.
4.
innovation to further validate what informed people think generally are the most innovative examples of useful technology innovation today and what can be improved or invented to become meaningful to them in the future. Breaking out of siloed software vs hardware thinking. (Coding Empowered, Connected, Ubiquitous, Universal interaction, Virtual no physical form)
5.
COFA UNSW (MPil) (SART9728) while simultaneously working through the course curriculum also using digital painting tools and techniques - Wacom Cintiq12 and 2, Intuos 4, a variety of the latest tablets Apple iPad2, Asus EeeSlate (MS Windows 7), Acer - Google Android Tablet. Results posted at
www.artofwa.com and www.deviantart.com (artofwa group) (12 million artist members in forum) Field procedures, data collection methods and interview guides.
General document audits (1) are summarised and reposted at www.Artofwa.com for open forum discussions and discourse. Through moderation, relevant points are captured for future reference as search data. Summaries are re-posted and so on during the course of research duration. The power of community brings many helpers and self validates in a similar way to a Wiki post to provide data reduction which I will organise and interpret.
Qualitative Interviewing (2, 3) is done in a semi-structured format with some standardised questions to allow scope for digression and probing. Digital audio recording for phone and informal interviews (including note taking), hand held single camera video or side mounted on tripod for Vlog style interviews, duel camera interviews required for broadcast level or instructional style to capture hand/body gestures, screen and/or subject view. All audio will be catalogued for editing and transcribing for specific portions of interest. Transcription services used will be www.smartdocs.com.au. Skype recording is possible through screen capture software if high quality video is not required. This method is very good for low cost face to face interviews when distance and availability is an issue.
Pilot research (4) carried out as questionnaire face to face and responses captured as notes and in some cases audio recording also used because the final question often leads to a digress and probe session. Q&A sheet (3. References)
Practical research (5) of subject matter to build greater depth of personal knowledge and skills to feel and inform issues and gaps that can be discussed with experts in vertical knowledge and applications groups. On-going personal investigation across Tablet devices, operating systems and new release specialised applications, building on a knowledge base and adding to my current understanding of issues and trends from a hands on perspective.
The interviews (2, 3) will form the basis of further discussions within global communities and at www.artofwa.com. A broader pilot (4) survey of innovation in the general field of NUI is required to plot any shift in thinking which has been occurring within academic fields of computer science, mirrored in software development, industrial design and web development/design industries in the forms of User Centred Design and Usability. These practices and methodologies embrace the notion that humans interact with technology best when it fits their needs and motivations in a timely way. The principals have been adopted globally as best practice and continue to be refined. There are many new products on the market that have become popular because of ease of use and a natural feel of operation but there has been a tendency to think of these technical innovations as being of either hardware or software in nature. The research pilot conducted addressed this point by use of a method of inquiry that allowed the interviewee to decouple their thought processes by taking three small leading question steps to prepare the interviewee for a quantum forth leap and in most cases the candidate arrived at a surprising innovative insight. (2. References)
Through practical exploratory sessions with traditional artists/instructors I will catalogue and cross reference traditional tools and techniques to digital tools, techniques and NUI and conduct interviews with University lecturers, Technologists, Practitioners and General Users plus apply my Studio Practice explorations in digital / traditional techniques to gather and catalogue a body of global knowledge in this specialised field.
To visually represent the data as a model and broadly communicate my thesis proposal, research approach and assumptions I have prepared the diagram A. (Appendices) This diagram is based on 30 years of first had observation and practice, illustrating traditional and digital creative convergence over time. The point of intersection represents where digital and traditional disciplines and technologies have completely merged together into one discipline with supporting techniques and technical infrastructure and where human expressive skills, both from a traditional and digital stand point have formed one professional standard/pathway moving forward. The left (Blue) quadrant represents pathways for digital professional tools and techniques over twenty five years. (Art of Making Marks representing a significant body of existing field research) Traditional pathways are represented in the right quadrant (yellow) and bellow the green quadrant demonstrates a much longer history of
technique and technology development. At the extreme right edge of the yellow quadrant is the widest gap to be questioned. This is where traditional drawing and painting tools and techniques still remain arguably preferred by fine artists. The top quadrant (Pink) represents the focus of this thesis being the next 25 years from 5 years out to 25 years in the future where science fiction writers dare to speculate.
Some creative fields have already converged and some are closer than others and so it is my intention to derive from qualitative research and analysis from all 5 methods of data collection to survey and validate the overall model. Vectors will then be plotted into the most likely areas of future innovation based on scenarios that arise from the data. I am likely to find obvious paths and also road blocks in expressive NUI development that do not fully support the factors of Motor Sensory Skills, Cognitive Skills, Social Context and Emotional Response. The exciting aspect to this thesis will be to possibly find the unexpected path in the data to bridge the gap I describe in my argument.
Academic Supervisors Associate Professor Phillip George (Media Arts) UNSW COFA Professor Ross Harley (Head of School, Media Arts) UNSW COFA Digital industry advisors Masahiko Yamada (CEO) Wacom Dr Dave Fleck (VP of Engineering) Wacom Bill Buxton (Principal Researcher) - Microsoft Duncan Brinsmead (Chief Research Scientist) Autodesk Russell Brown (Global Creative Director) - Adobe John Derry (Co-author Painter) - Fractal Design/Corel Wayne Westerman (Senior Engineer) FingerWorks/Apple Leon Brown (Senior Product Manager) - Hewlett-Packard Larry Weinberg (Senior Software Engineer) - Smith Micro
Art and Design industry advisors Ron Cobb (Visual Futurist) - Film/Industrial Design (Alien(s), Star Wars, Back to Future) Syd Mead (Visual Futurist) - Film/Industrial Design (Blade Runner, Tron, 2010, etc)
Academic advisors Professor Judy Kay (Head of IT - Computer Science) - Sydney University (Computer Human Adaptive Interaction Research Group) - CHAI (Australian Research Council) President - AIED Society Professor Dr Tom Misner (CEO) SAE Global Darrall Thompson (Director of Teaching) - UTS Dr Jeffrey Crass (Director & Dean, Enmore Design Centre) - TAFE NSW
Art and Design industry advisors Ron Cobb (Visual Futurist) - Film/Industrial Design (Alien(s), Star Wars, Back to Future) Syd Mead (Visual Futurist) - Film/Industrial Design (Blade Runner, Tron, 2010, etc)
Academic advisors Professor Judy Kay (Head of IT - Computer Science) - Sydney University (Computer Human Adaptive Interaction Research Group) - CHAI (Australian Research Council) President - AIED Society Professor Dr Tom Misner (CEO) SAE Global Darrall Thompson (Director of Teaching) - UTS Dr Jeffrey Crass (Director & Dean, Enmore Design Centre) - TAFE NSW
REFERENCES
3. Reading List
Bill Buxton, Sketching User Experiences (1) Getting the design right and the right design.
Fail fast and early, learn fast and early. Redesigning a product or relaunching one is very expensive. This is a great read and deals with products and services in their "wholistic" setting. A new idea exists in a context and that context determines its success or failure.
Donald A. Norman, Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the age of the machine
A Human-Centered Technology The human mind is limited in capability. There is only so much we can remember, only so much we can learn. But among our abilities is that of devising artificial devices artifacts- that expand our capabilities. We invent things that make us smart.
Cher Threinen-Pendarvis, The Photoshop and Painter Artist Tablet Book: Creative Techniques in Digital Painting
Learning to actually draw and paint with a graphics tablet has barely been covered. If you've been a traditional artist for years, you still need basic exercises to learn how to handle the "digital brush."
Mike de la Flor and Bridgette Mongeon, Digital Sculpting with Mudbox: Essential Tools and Techniques for Artists
Explores digital sculpting in its entirety from the art studio, to computer, through to production. Traditional sculpting techniques and digital sculpting in Mudbox with comprehensive tutorials. Interplay between Mudbox and other 3D/animation programs like 3ds Max and Maya - export Mudbox models -Use Mudbox to prepare rapid prototypes, build/mill armatures, and create hybrid sculptures.
Robert Barrett, Life Drawing: How to portray the figure with accuracy and expression
Clear chapters which demonstrate how to study figure drawing from a wide variety of approaches. It does not limit to one particular procedure but offers many ways to get into the subject, all of which it demonstrates via very fine drawings/sketches. Very strong on structural approaches.
Lark Books, The Figure in Clay: Contemporary Sculpting Techniques by Master Artists
Nine artists are featured and all use a wide variety of techniques: coiling, pinching, slab, casting, and molds - alone or in combinations to create some of the best modern ceramic sculpture being produced today. Each of the featured artists writes an introductory essay explaining their philosophy, work and techniques.
Jose Arguelles, The Transformative Vision: Reflections on the Nature and History of Human Expression.
Arguelles gets right down to the root causes of the crisis of modern civilization. He calls the feminine element psyche (breath or soul) and the male element techne (skill). Since the Renaissance techne has come to dominate life, giving us a purely mechanical existence at the exspense of psyche, which has been relegated to the unconscious. Arguelles shows how art has manifested this split, culminating in the sterility of modern art today.
Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects
Beneath the glossy surface of official design lurks a dark and strange world driven by real human needs. A place where electronic objects co-star in a noir thriller, working with like-minded individuals to escape normalisation and ensure that even a totally manufactured environment has room for danger, adventure and transgression.
Bonnie Nardi, Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human Computer Interaction
A provocative compendium of theoretical expositions and methodological examples for the application of activity theory in the design of collaborative computing systems and the implications of activity theory to instructional design/architecture, knowledge management and all that fun stuff.
Bonnie Nardi and Vicki O'Day, Information Ecologies: Using Technology with Heart
Perspectives on how technology is affecting our society in both an anthropological as well as a sociological view catering to both technical and non-technical individuals.
Jennifer Preece, Yvonne Rogers and Helen Sharp, Interaction Design: Beyond HumanComputer Interaction
Interaction Design is a meat and potatoes book about HCI. Rather than focusing on the software that drives the application, the book analyzes how users actually interact with the system. This interaction is what ultimately will determine whether a system is successful or unproductive.
Edward Tenner, Why Things Bite BackTechnology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences
From medicine and natural disasters to plant and animal pests to machinery and software to how better running shoes lead to more injuries. In short what we have here is a warning: we are not as smart as we think we are. We are not as completely in control of our lives as we would like to believe. We are in danger of really screwing up the works at any time.
Appendices Diagram A
RIC HOLLAND - CV
1 Tralee Ave. Killarney Heights Sydney NSW 2087 AUSTRALIA (Mobile) 0411 737 478 (Email) ric.holland@extreme.com.au (Linkedin) www.linkedin.com/in/richolland (Twitter) www.twitter.com/ric_holland (Blog) www.artofwa.com (Portfolio) www.extreme.com.au
___________________________________________________________________________ 2011 Current (6 mths) Wacom Consultant to CEO ___________________________________________________________________________ 2006 2011 (5 years) Wacom Partner & Evangelist Manager / Global ___________________________________________________________________________ 2003 2006 (3 years 4mths) Extreme iMedia Creative Director / Consultant ___________________________________________________________________________ 2000 2003 (3 years) IBM GSA Creative Director / Asia Pacific ___________________________________________________________________________ 1998 2000 (1 year) MetaCreations Corp Regional Manager / Asia Pacific ___________________________________________________________________________ 1996 1998 (3 years) Vision Graphics CTO / Creative Director ___________________________________________________________________________ 1989 1996 (7 years) Extreme Digital CEO / Creative Director ___________________________________________________________________________ 1980 1989 (9 years) Ricreation Studio Founder / Creative Director
Employment History
Global Partner & Evangelist Manager Wacom GBM (Global Brand Management) 2006 Current Wacom is one of the worlds largest Natural User Interface vendors. Graphics pen and screen tablets are very popular with artists, graphic designers, animators, architects, etc, who commonly cite Wacom as industry standard. Wacom also provides interface technology to major computer vendors such as HP, etc. Responsible : Creating and maintaining visibility of Wacom in the global digital content creation markets. Develop key evangelist relationships and partnerships with global Masters, Professionals and Influencers. Writer/editor for Investor Relations team responsible for all public corporate documents including two Annual Reports. Project lead on Global Web, CMS and Social Web projects. Achieved : CEOs award for writing and producing Wacoms 25th Anniversary book Art of Marking Marks. Attained 2,000 monthly visitors to my blog www.ArtofWa.com from over 100 countries and 4,000 cities. Successfully lead the global web launch of a new multi-touch product Bamboo for mass consumer markets. Maintained 140% annual sales growth when responsible for ANZ Business Development. Presented Wacom technology at over 100 trade shows, public functions and spoke to many thousands of customers in past 4.8 years. ____________________________________________________________________________________ CEO / Creative Director Extreme iMedia 2003 2006 Extreme iMedia provided consulting services in professional fields such as interactive music, digital publishing, web branding, user centred design, digital media education and cross media workshops. Responsible : Business development and creative projects at 301 Interactive, Different, IdN World, HotHouse, Gravity. UNSW (University of New South Wales), COFA (College of Fine Art), UTS (University of Technology Sydney), AFTRS (Australian Film, TV & Radio School), LAMP (Laboratory of Advanced Media Production), Billy Blue Design School, SAE Computer Graphics College, Enmore Design Centre. Achieved : World wide release 5.1 DVD for INXS through Universal Music, PR launch SAE Global headquarters, Toyota Digital Point of Sales CRM, Alcatel, Ambience, Fujifilm, South Corp Wines, IAG, eBook Systems, 3G Hutchison. Delivered digital media courses and retained senior lecturer positions.
____________________________________________________________________________________ Creative Director / Asia Pacific IBM GSA (Interactive Branding & Design) 2000 2003 IBM eBusiness Innovation Centre :: Sydney represented the leading edge of enterprise ebusiness development and was the largest of 20 IBM centres globally before the Dot Com crash. Responsible : Developing and maintaining multi-million dollar relationships in the emerging eBranding sectors of Corporate, Government, Finance and eLearning. Mentored and directed the Usability, User Centred Design (UCD) and Interactive Branding & Design teams for Asia Pacific. (IA Information Architecture, Graphic Design, Multimedia, Content Strategy, Business Analysis, Solution Design) Achieved : IBM eBusiness Innovation Centre launch and cross media branding, Thai Farmers Bank eBranding (18 months project that contributed over $60 Million in follow on revenue), Westpac Bank ($50 Billion successful outsourcing bid and proposal), CBA, IAG, Caltex, Dairy Farmers, South Corp Clean Air, NSW Parks & Wild Life, Vodafone, Ansett, GM Holden, Sydney Local Councils, Red Cross, etc. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Regional Manager / Asia Pacific MetaCreations Corp 1998 1999 MetaCreations Corp was best known for its graphics applications Ray Dream Studio/Infini D, Fractal Design Painter, Bryce, and Kai's Power Tools. In 1999 MetaCreations invested heavily in '3d on the Web' technology "MetaStream" and began restructuring from graphics applications to Internet technology. MetaStream, acquired Viewpoint Digital, and ultimately merged to become the Viewpoint Corporation. Responsible : Business development in AP, researched and appointed new channel partners, developed and managed marketing, managed $300K of market development funds. I publically evangelised the software tools throughout Asia Pacific at partner road show events with Adobe and Macromedia, directly at trade events, conferences, at educational institutions, sponsored competitions and awards nights. Achieved : 200% sales growth in the professional and education sectors by developing user groups, new sales and marketing channels and by providing education site licensing. I provided valuable product feedback to US software engineers through local beta testing programs and by talking to customers.
____________________________________________________________________________________ Creative Director / CTO Vision Graphics 1996 - 1998 Vision Graphics was one of the largest and most respected pro photographic labs in Australia. A merger with Extreme Digital enabled it to become the most advanced digital photographic and multimedia company in the region, supporting 80 staff and innovating advanced digital imaging techniques for the Professional Photographic industry. Responsible : Developing brand, business, creative services, technology, managing client expectations and delivering projects using the latest techniques in digital imaging, interactive publishing and multimedia. Achieved : Consolidation of traditional/digital services, expansion of core business to leverage broader markets with creative services (not limited to traditional photographic services), branding, consolidated pricing model, rapid development software platform for interactive production, web galleries and digital portfolios. I evangelised the beginning of digital video in AP with Radius and Supermac - spoke at trade shows, conferences and events in regard to new media markets. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Creative Director / CEO Extreme Digital 1982 - 1996 Extreme Digital an award winning design agency that set new standards in digital media production, pioneering the early adoption of digital techniques that challenged the established industries in print publishing, photographic manipulation, video/film and animation.(interactive media) Responsible : Being the founder and business manager, establishing 80/20 innovation method, tendering, creative pitch, project management, client management, R&D, staff training, team and morale. Achieved : 130% annual growth over 14 years, 20 famous Board Games designed/produced and marketed. 2,500 branding and marketing projects delivered - including BHP, Microsoft, Apple, Aldus, Adobe, Fractal, Corel, MetaCreations, HP, Compaq, SPC Software, CA, Kodak, Fujifilm, InfoMagic, Firmware, Events Fashions, Micro Australia/Merisel, Mac World Expos, Publish Expos, Queensland Tourist & Travel, Balarinji, Nida, SAE, SOCOG Olympics, IBM, Toshiba, Sony, Quantel, Wacom, etc. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Honors and Awards Judge for AIMIA Awards 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010. Judge for 20th Annual London International Awards Interactive Media. Judge for inaugural Integrated Media Awards 1998. Won many MdN/IdN Awards, MacWorld Awards, Australian Catalogue Awards, etc. AIMIA (Australian Interactive Media Industry Association) Vice President NSW Committee 2001 - 2006 Advisory boards - Enmore Design Centre TAFE, School of Audio Engineering SAE, Bond University and Create Australia as accreditation consultant. Co-founder and Vice President of International Design Education Association (IDEA) '4 Day Thing' annual design workshops supporting over 50 Charity Clients. Project Leader - 9 years. Hosted at UNSW COFA.