I was particularly interested in the publication by figuresmag people in which graphic visual responses to social issues arising out of the gas plant explosion in WA in mid 2008 were created, printed and collated as book of tear-out postcards.

The work of figuresmag is operating in a sphere that spans fine art and graphic art practice. The artists are creating graphics using visually reductive techniques. These subvert the typical communicative intent that arises out of the context of power play where such expensive graphics will usually support the case of an agency with resources to commit to such contemplatively refined visual statements (the visual communication equivalent of having expert representation in matters of law, as opposed to legal aid or self representation).

On a somewhat related issue, in 2006 I conducted a case study of infographics that were published in the Australian news media during the Beaconsfield Mine disaster and rescue. Because currency and immediacy are so much part of the news media, practitioners in that field are rarely afforded the luxury of time to contemplate. Because that event became so temporally extended it was interesting to note how some of the graphics became more sophisticated over time. The article, which I warn has a hefty theoretical component, also discusses the value of 3D animation in the news narrative context. See reconstruction journal: http://reconstruction.eserver.org/083/holmes.shtml if interested.