Toby Morris
Born1980 (age 43–44)
New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealander
Area(s)Cartoonist, Illustrator
Pseudonym(s)XTOTL
Notable works
On A Plate, The Day The Costumes Stuck
xtotlworldwide.com

Toby Morris (born 1980) is a New Zealand cartoonist, comics artist, illustrator and writer, best known for non-fiction online comics that often highlight social issues.

His work has reached worldwide audiences. On A Plate is an online comic Morris created to explain privilege by contrasting the lives from infancy to adulthood of two imaginary people: one wealthy, the other poor. It was shared globally and has been translated into several other languages.[1][2] Animated graphics created in collaboration with Siouxsie Wiles for The Spinoff's coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic were similarly widely shared and translated.[3] In 2022 Morris won the Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize.

Life

Morris has attributed his love of comics to his family having moved frequently for his father's army career. He started making his own comics at the age of seven, during an extended break from school caused by a broken leg.[4]

After unsuccessfully applying to study design at Massey University, Morris did a BA in English literature and political science at Victoria University of Wellington. During that time his comics were published in the magazine of Victoria University's students' association, Salient, and he worked for Salient in 2002.[4][5]

During his early twenties, Morris played bass for Wellington band Batrider and moved to Melbourne with them. He later got hearing aids and was relieved to learn that his hearing loss was hereditary and not due to loud music. After leaving the band he relocated to Amsterdam with his wife, freelance photographer Sonya Nagels. They had their first child in Amsterdam and later returned to New Zealand.[1][6][7]

Morris lives in Auckland with Nagels and their two sons.[1][2]

Work

Morris's comic On A Plate was part of his series of non-fiction comics The Pencilsword, published by Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on its website The Wireless.[1]

Since moving on from RNZ, Morris has been creating non-fiction comics for online magazine The Spinoff,[2] including a series titled The Side Eye. The Spinoff has also published a web series Two Sketches in which Morris interviews another illustrator while they each complete a drawing. Interviewees for Two Sketches included Sharon Murdoch and Metiria Turei.[8][9]

He has published several books, including two collections of his cartoons depicting daily life: Alledaags: A Year in Amsterdam and Don't Puke On Your Dad: A Year In The Life of A New Father; and two children's books: Capsicum, Capsi Go and The Day The Costumes Stuck. The latter was nominated for the Russell Clark Award for Illustration in the 2017 NZ Book Awards.[4]

Flatten the Curve: How simple public health measures save lives from Coronavirus disease 2019

Morris was the illustrator of a special edition of the School Journal focused on Te Tiriti O Waitangi, which was supplied to schools in 2018.[10] A book version of the School Journal work was subsequently made available for purchase by the general public, and sold well.[11][12] The latter was nominated for the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction in the 2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and also for the Scholastic New Zealand Award for Best Children’s Book in the Publishers Association of New Zealand Book Design Awards 2020.[13]

Flatten the Curve, a slightly animated comic that Morris created in 2020 with Siouxsie Wiles for The Spinoff to describe how simple citizen actions could vastly reduce the death toll, went viral during the Coronavirus disease 2019 viral pandemic and was seen worldwide (including in Wikipedia). Called "the defining chart of the Coronavirus", it was based on earlier graphics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rosamund Pearce of The Economist, and Thomas Jefferson University professor Drew Harris.[14][15][3] The World Health Organisation (WHO) hired The Spinoff to deliver content in support of the global effort to combat the pandemic, after WHO's communications director encountered some of the work Morris and Wiles had produced. Morris was creative director for the WHO contract,[16] and went on to become the creative director of The Spinoff.[17]

Siouxsie Wiles has credited Morris for his part in the work that contributed to her being named New Zealander of the Year for 2021.[17]

Awards

In May 2022 Morris was selected as the winner of the 2021 Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize.[18]

Newspaper Publishers' Association awards

The New Zealand News Publishers' Association awards are given out annually under varying brand names and Morris has been a nominee or recipient since 2016.

Canon Media Awards

  • 2016 – Opinion writer – general (with Toby Manhire), for RNZ Online[19]
  • 2017 – Best artwork/graphics, for RNZ and The Wireless[20]

Voyager Media Awards

  • 2018 (winner) – Best artwork/graphics (including interactive/motion graphics), for The Spinoff and The Wireless[21]
  • 2019 (winner) – Best artwork/graphics (including interactive/motion graphics), for The Spinoff[22]
  • 2020 (winner) – Cartoonist of the Year, for The Spinoff[23] (also runner up for Best artwork/graphics)[24]
  • 2021 (winner) – Cartoonist of the Year[25] and Best Artist/Graphic Design,[26] both for The Spinoff
  • 2022 (nominee) – Best artist/graphic design,[27] for The Spinoff
  • 2023 (nominee) – Best artist/graphic design,[28] for The Spinoff

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 French, Ricky (22 May 2017) [Originally published in the September 2016 issue of North & South magazine]. "Reading between the lines: Cartoonist Toby Morris". Bauer Media Group. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Bruce, Greg (15 December 2018). "Kiwi cartoonists on what mattered in 2018". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  3. 1 2 Mark Wilson (13 March 2020). "The story behind 'flatten the curve,' the defining chart of the coronavirus". Fast Company.
  4. 1 2 3 Monk, Felicity; Page, Emma (9 July 2017). "Spell binders: How Juliette MacIver, Toby Morris, Mary-anne Scott and Lisala Halapua write their acclaimed children's books". Stuff. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  5. ↑ Wastney, Melissa (21 March 2013). "All things being equal (or not) that is the question". NewsWire.co.nz. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "'People with hearing aids – that wasn't me'". RNZ. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Simpson, Emily (31 August 2016). "Cartoonist Toby Morris on being a dad and coming home". Stuff. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Toby Morris: Drawing talk and the power of the pen". RNZ (Radio interview). Interviewed by Noelle McCarthy. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ↑ "Watch: Metiria Turei opens up on a life in politics, art and activism in Two Sketches". The Spinoff. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "School Journal teams up with Toby Morris to create graphic novel about the Treaty of Waitangi". Stuff. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  11. ↑ Little, Paul, ed. (October 2019). "The books that are making us laugh, cry and reflect". North & South (New Zealand magazine). Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  12. ↑ Desmarais, Felix (25 September 2019). "Māori book sales in te wiki o te reo Māori suggest Kiwis increasingly eager to learn te reo". Stuff. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  13. ↑ McKirdy, Aaron (20 October 2020). "2020 PANZ Book Design Awards: What takes a book from good to great?". Kete Books. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Toby Manhire (14 March 2020). "Covid-19: All arrivals to NZ must self-isolate for 14 days. Here's what you need to know". The Spinoff. (NZ Prime Minister) Jacinda Ardern with a print-out of the Spinoff 'Flatten the Curve' visual by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris. (Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)
  15. ↑ Denise Chow; Jason Abbruzzese (11 March 2020). "What is 'flatten the curve'? The chart that shows how critical it is for everyone to fight coronavirus spread". NBC News.
  16. ↑ Edmunds, Susan (20 June 2020). "How a Kiwi media company became the World Health Organisation's latest Covid-19 weapon". Stuff. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  17. 1 2 Greive, Duncan (1 April 2021). "How Siouxsie Wiles became 'the Covid lady', then New Zealander of the year". The Spinoff. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  18. ↑ "2021 TE PUIAKI WHAKAPĀ PŪTAIAO SCIENCE COMMUNICATION PRIZE |The Prime Minister's Science Prizes". Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  19. ↑ "Canon Media Awards 2016: winners, losers, drunks, takeovers, new players and golden gods". stoppress.co.nz. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  20. ↑ "Canon Media Awards: the Weekend Herald claims glory for 2017". stoppress.co.nz. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Spinoff, The (12 May 2018). "Exclusive: The Spinoff wins everything at Voyager Media Awards 2018". The Spinoff. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  22. ↑ "Newshub's Tova O'Brien named NZ's best political journalist at Voyager Media Awards". Newshub. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  23. ↑ "TVNZ wins big at annual Voyager Media Awards". TVNZ. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  24. ↑ "2020 Voyager Media Awards Announced | News Publishers' Association". NPA | News Publishers' Association. 24 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  25. ↑ "Newsroom wins five national media awards". Newsroom. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  26. ↑ "2021 Winners". NPA | News Publishers' Association. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  27. ↑ McGregor, Catherine (27 May 2022). "Spinoff scores multiple Voyager Media Awards nominations". The Spinoff. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  28. ↑ Spinoff, The (14 April 2023). "Weird: The Spinoff only outlet nominated for Voyager Media Awards". The Spinoff. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
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