Beale Gurney

A kid who was always making things, I chose to study Fine Arts with a Graphic Design major at the University of Tasmania. Freshly graduated, I got my first job as a 3D character animator here in Tasmania at Blue Rocket Productions, and was lucky enough to then work on nine of their kids' cartoons for television. My knack for training new staff members led to a move to Sydney to teach design, animation and photography at TAFE, while continuing freelance work as a designer in various fields. I also started to deliver kids' workshops in the area of game design, animation and digital design. All these skills culminated in new focus on providing quality online learning experiences, and work as a user experience (UX) designer. I co-ran a educational development company for a couple of years, then wrapped up my Sydney work to return to my home state. I now work for the University of Tasmania, and get to use all my design experience in my role making software and learning resources more user-friendly and accessible.

I do still get asked to design kids' workshops, and it's pretty hard to say no because they're so much fun to run. Since COVID hit, I've realised there's a big gap in engaging and safe online creative experiences for kids. People are increasingly sharing fantastic creative resources, but synchronous interactive experiences are few and far between, and the technology be a barrier. To provide an option for times where physical distancing is required, I've designed an approach using freely available apps. I also continue to run face to face workshops, and collaborate with other designers and artists to create memorable experiences.