Biography
ABOUT: Dr. Tonya Meyrick is an award-winning communication designer, educator, and research leader in the field of typography, branding, and design practice. Tonya’s cross-cultural design research merges systems designs with interactive experience design, to develop creative applications of user experience and interface design. Her research, recognised by 7 awards has received funding from both industry and government, with published outcomes showcased at national and international events and exhibitions.
With over 25yrs experience developing, leading, and managing complex design and creative projects, Tonya has initiated, and delivered local and international funded programs with government, academic, corporate and community partners and clientele. Partners have included the ABC, Federation Square, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, The Malthouse Theatre, Disney, Visa, Telstra, Coca Cola, The Government of Palau, City of Greater Geelong, UNESCO in Australia and the United Nations in Kuwait and the USA among many others. Her work attracts funding and partners seeking innovative solutions to develop industry problems and initiatives.
Tonya is a Senior Lecturer in Screen & Design with the Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University. She is a research fellow with the Deakin Motion Lab and a nominated member of the International Society of Typographers UK (ISTD). She educates across typography, UX, branding, studio design practice and design pedagogy and has received 3 university awards for teaching excellence. In 2022 as part of an industry research project ‘Because the Night’ with the Deakin Motion Lab team were finalists in the Victorian Premiers Design Award; awarded the Faculty of Arts and Education, ‘Research Collaboration’ award; the School of Communication & Creative Arts, ‘Outstanding Research Project’ award; and Tonya was awarded an individual design researcher award for the school.
Tonya’s practice-based research focuses on the intersections and boundaries of design, technology, and digital engagement. Tonya has exhibited her creative practice and spoken internationally on typography, branding and design in Australia, New Zealand, Greece, China, Japan, Kuwait, and the UK.
Read more on Tonya's profileResearch interests
Tonya’s cross-cultural design research merges systems designs with interactive experience design, to develop creative applications of user experience and interface design. Her research, recognised by 5 awards has received funding from both industry and government, with published outcomes showcased at national and international events and exhibitions.
Teaching interests
Communication design, typography and related artefacts and associated applications. Systems design and user experience design. Way finding and navigation systems. Regional and rural engagement for students and industry. Digital innovations and applications. International partnerships.
Units taught
Tonya has developed numerous academic programs and taught across all levels of teritiary education.
Knowledge areas
Tonya’s cross-cultural design research merges systems designs with interactive experience design, to develop creative applications of user experience and interface design.
Conferences
Meyrick T., (2021) Likewise, same, similar: Typeface differentiation in cultural festival identity design. TypeWknd, online, 30 Sep 2021 - 03 Oct 2021. TypeWknd. TypeWknd. 2021.
Meyrick T., (2020) Pick Me, Pick Me: Analysing the semantic connotations of typography deployed in genre categories of the Netflix catalogue. Association Typographique Internationale. Conference (2020 : Online), Online, 27 Oct 2020 - 31 Oct 2020. ATypI 2020 : All Over : Proceedings of the Association Typographique Internationale 2020 conference. Association Typographique Internationale, Lyon, France. 30 Oct 2020.
Meyrick T, Taffe S., (2019) Authenticating Typography in Cultural Festival Brand Marks. International Association of Societies of Design Research. International Congress. IASDR 2019. Manchester School of Art. Manchester, UK. 2 - 5th September, 2019.
Meyrick, T., (2019) Machine Learning in Design: Fiction, Hype or Reality? Digital Innovation Festival Victoria. Creative Geelong, Geelong, Australia, 23 Aug 2019 - 06 Sep 2019.
Meyrick T, Taffe S., (2019) Authenticating Typography. 7th International Conference on Typography & Visual Communication, Patras, Greece, University of Nicosia, Cyprus. 19 Jun 2019 - 21 Jun 2019.
Meyrick T., (2018) De/coding festival type: engaging manifest and latent design research methods to investigate typography used in the brand marks of cultural festivals. Building Bridges Conference, Swinburne University, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design. Hawthorn, Vic., 31 Oct 2018 - 31 Oct 2018.
Meyrick T, Taffe S., (2017) Triangulation as an experimental approach: interpreting the synergistic relationship between the visual syntax, practical mechanisms and theoretical frameworks of typography used in brand marks of cultural festivals. International Association of Societies of Design Research. International Congress. IASDR 2017 (7th : 2017 : Cincinnatti, Ohio), Cincinnatti, Ohio, 31 Oct 2017 - 03 Nov 2017.
Meyrick, T., (2016) Typography and the branding of culture: a methodological investigation into the way typography is used to brand cultural festivals in Australia. Land Dialogues Conference, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW. Australia. 13-15 April 2016.
Meyrick, T., (2015) Seduction and Demise in East Berlin – Digital Prototype for an Immersive Opera: A digitally mediated partnership, collaboration and performance between Deakin University communication design students and the Beggars Opera Cooperative. Tenth International Arts and Society Conference, Imperial College London. England. 22-25 July 2015.
Professional activities
Consultant and designer for the corporate, community and independant sectors with a focus on developing, producing and implementing communication design strategies.
Research groups
Deakin Motion Lab
Awards
2024 International Anthem Award. Sustainability, Environment & Climate Innovation category. Project - Perpetual Pigments (team)
2023 Victorian Premiers Design Awards. Communication Design category. Project -Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Wayfinding Design. (team)
2022 Victorian Premiers Design Awards. Because The Night. (team)
https://premiersdesignawards.vic.gov.au/entries/2022/student-design/because-the-night
2022 Deakin University, Faculty of Arts & Education, Faculty Award for Engagement, Collaboration and Impact through Reseach (Beacuse the Night) (team)
2022 Deakin University, School of Communication & Creative Arts, Award for 'Art & Design - Individual contribution to the school'.
2022 Deakin University, School of Communication & Creative Arts, Award for Research 'Individual contribution to the school'
2019 Bright Lights. National Public Art Commission,Wagga Wagga City Councill New South Wales, Australia.
2019 Deakin University, Faculty of Arts & Education, Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.
2018 Deakin University, Faculty of Arts & Education, Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence.
Projects
UNESCO - CIty of Design, Geelong Design Week - Curatorial Commitee
Perpetual Pigments - https://perpetualpigments.com.au/
Making Change, Creative Industries Taskforce - https://wearemakingchange.com.au/
Publications
Tonya Meyrick
(2023), The Fox Hotel, 351 Wellington Street, Collingwood, Vic., JO1
Because The Night Interactive Archive
Stefan Greuter, Gerard Mulvany, Tonya Meyrick, Simeon Taylor
(2022), Deakin University Waurn Ponds Campus, JR4
RBGV Insights : Informing a comprehensive brief
Tonya Meyrick, Russell Kennedy
(2021), Vol. 1, pp. 1-69, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - Insights Document 5.11.21 - v1, Melbourne, Vic., A6
Authenticating typography in cultural festival brand marks
Tonya Meyrick, Simone Taffe
(2019), ICTVC 2019: 7th International Conference on Typography & Visual Communication, Patras, Greece, E1
T Meyrick
(2018), pp. 1-10, FHAD HDR Conference : Connectivity between disciplines : Proceedings of Building Bridges: FHAD HDR Student Conference 2018, Hawthorn, Vic., E1
T Meyrick
(2016), pp. 249-266, Fusion, Sydney, N.S.W., C1
T Meyrick
(2016), Vol. 10, pp. 1-1, Fusion journal, Wagga Wagga, N.S.W., J2
Discovery : recent honours and postgraduate practice/exegesis work logo
T Meyrick
(2011), Burwood, Vic., J2
Global positioning systems: Middle Eastern & Australian landscapes
T Meyrick
(2009), Kuwait City, Kuwait, J1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Other Public Sector Funding
Digital Prototype for an Immersive Opera - Beggars Opera
Dr Tonya Meyrick
Department of State Development, Business and Innovation
- 2014: $9,300
Bright Lights - Rural Type Exchange
Dr Tonya Meyrick
Wagga Wagga City Council
- 2019: $10,000
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria - Wayfinding and Signage Strategy Project.
Dr Tonya Meyrick, Dr Russell Kennedy
Royal Botanic Gardens VIctoria
- 2021: $25,000
Particles derived from textile wastes for sustainable coloration of products
A/Prof Rangam Rajkhowa, Dr Dylan Hegh, Dr Surya Subianto, A/Prof Alessandra Sutti, Dr Emma Prime, Dr Tonya Meyrick, Dr Russell Kennedy
Sustainability Victoria
- 2024: $110,000
- 2023: $103,050
Passing Electrical Storms
Prof Stefan Greuter, Mr Simeon Taylor, Dr Russell Kennedy, Dr Tonya Meyrick
National Gallery of Victoria
- 2022: $65,000
Industry and Other Funding
Because the Night Interactive Archive.
Prof Stefan Greuter, Mr Gerard Mulvany, Dr Tonya Meyrick, Mr Simeon Taylor, Prof Matthew Delbridge, Prof Katya Johanson, Dr Misha Myers, Dr Simon Wilmot
Playbox Theatre Company t/as Malthouse Theatre
- 2022: $40,000
- 2021: $40,000
Supervisions
No completed student supervisions to report