Open Studio Thesis Documentation by Hyning Gan

Welcome to Open Studio Notebook. This site is an open-source notebook for my Parsons CD thesis process, documenting research, references, and experiments in real time. By sharing the process of developing this year long project, I'm exploring design as a shared commons —– and invite others to learn, question, and research alongside me.

Have thoughts or questions? I want to talk to you, send me a message HERE!

Hyning is currently:

preparing for thesis exchange 3 presentation


  • FEB 12, 2026: preparing for thesis exchange 3 presentation
  • FEB 6, 2026: making a journal page for this process site
  • JAN 30, 2026: doing a weekly writing practice + reading Teaching to Transgress
  • JAN 23, 2026: updating this site and acclimating to her new thesis class
  • JAN 17, 2026: freaking out about thesis process and trying to fix that
  • JAN 10, 2026: reading What It Means to Be a Designer Today by AIGA Eye on Design
  • DEC 26, 2025: figuring out my thesis class section change (this was stressful)
  • DEC 17-21, 2025: is on winter break! enjoying the snowy mountains of vermont
  • DEC 12, 2025: presenting her end of semester progress w guest crit by Rebecca Wilkinson
  • DEC 10, 2025: designing and printing book cover prototypes
  • DEC 5, 2025: working on visual directions for her physical book cover prototype
  • NOV 21, 2025: interviewing more interviews + synthesising responses via plaud
  • NOV 19, 2025: developing a system for documenting interview responses for this site
  • NOV 17, 2025: conducting first interviews + applying for grant funding
  • NOV 14, 2025: preparing open call on socials + sharing this site publically
  • NOV 4, 2025: working on getting my process site live for thesis exchange
  • NOV 3, 2025: updating research library and preparing to publish
  • OCT 31, 2025: reading Design Harder by Erik Carter & ideating prototypes
  • OCT 23, 2025: coming up with a comprehensive timeline and research plan
  • OCT 17, 2025: exploring multi-form projects and distribution methods
  • OCT 10, 2025: presenting initial research and direction
  • SEP 26, 2025: solidifying thesis statement + concept direction
  • SEP 19, 2025: presenting her 256 project critique
  • SEP 18, 2025: grinding 256 project for crit
  • SEP 13, 2025: starting 256 project

Last Updated: Thursday, February 12, 2026

Wednesday, February 11, 2026


Elizabeth Goodspeed Afterhours @ Pentagram
  • Grabbed these tickets so quick, they always post them less than 24 hours before istg
  • After spending so long working on the thesis catalog questions she posed / Eliane mentioned having a personal chat with her since my thesis is relevant, figured it would be a nice moment to attend her talk
  • Very well strcutured and paced talk about her hollistic practice as a designer/writer, loved how succinctly she put her approach to things (archive/history informed)
  • Work that she ended up getting was based off this "branding" of herself that formed from her genuine interest, makes me think about how I project myself/streamline my practice
  • I asked a question about her teaching practice and what her philosophy was: she wants her class to be a positive and happy place for her students, highlighting and pushing what already exists in their work rather than impose her own ideas onto their approach

    • Friday, February 6, 2026


    Cataloging My Writing

  • Friday, January 30, 2026


    A Writing Practice
  • I've fallen off my writing practice for the remainder of the last year, but I think even my (small) progress ignited something in me, where I know I can conceptualise and actually write out something fully. Without that, I don't think I would be as confident in my abilities to write critically about design.
  • Discussed establishing the tone of how the writing pieces present, moving from more research based--to personal reflections and examples
  • Appreciate the onus given to the written component of the thesis, feels very important to me but sometimes doesn't feel like it fully translates to a design thesis
    • What I will bring next week:
  • One weeek of free writing about the thoughts on my thesis topic
  • ↳ Try writing for different audiences? i.e. design friends, teachers (Elaine), myself, someone who isn't in the field
  • ↳ Look back at my past writing to see the throughlines in tone
  • New page on my process site where I add my writing and journal entries
  • Read "Teaching to Transgress" by Bell Hooks w reflections

    • Friday, January 23, 2026


    First Thesis Class Back
  • Moved from Beatriz+Lydia to Elaine's section, so refreshing to be in a new space w new people!
  • Really enjoying the "ambient learning" nature of the class, where we have side conversations with other students about our projects, I'm still learning about each people's projects in my new class
  • Talking to Elaine one on one was SO HELPFUL! TRULY A BREAKTHROUGH! She fully understands the qualms I'm having with my approach, particularly with this topic and how to best approach it
  • Very illuminating and meta moment to hear about how my thought process is even indicative of the design education system itself--how I feel refrained from making the thesis personal to myself?

    • Monday, November 17, 2025


    Interview Sample: James Tupling (graphic designer/startup space)
  • JT: BFA @SCAD Hong Kong, MFA @Pratt Institute, MFA thesis on cultural appropriateion in design, works in wayfinding, active in nyc design/start up space
  • The Future of Design Education: The current model is failing to produce strategically-minded designers, over-indexing on technical skills while neglecting critical thinking and business acumen.
  • Redefining Designer Value: A designer's core asset is their unique perspective, taste, and ability to synthesize complex information, not just their production skills.
  • The Primacy of Content and Conviction: Exceptional design is not an aesthetic layer but a deep, authentic engagement with the subject matter itself.
  • Plaud (my ai recording tool) works really well! I like how it externalised and on a seperate platform, keeps things clean
    • JT Interview Mind Map

    Friday, November 14, 2025


    Publishing This Site Publically
  • Sharing this site on Instagram and made an open call for feedback/schedule interviews
  • Formalising everything for public viewing took much longer than expected, feeling like it is polished enough even as a process page feedback → feedback has been positive so far!
    • 1 on 1 Feedback w Lydia/Next Week
  • Figuring out systems I'll use for my interview, transcribing, editing, designing--rinse and repeat once I find something that works
  • Prototype idea: design some container to hold the interview, thinking about book page sizing, preliminary file setup/layout
  • 2-3 interviews planned to start with as content to design with for friday
    • Project Brief
      Open Studio investigates how design education can evolve to meet a global and culturally diverse future. Through interviews, fieldwork, and participatory research, the project culminates in a publication, interactive website, and public event that explore how designers learn today and how future systems of design learning might better serve an interconnected world.

    Friday, November 7, 2025


    Thesis Exchange 2
  • Shared majority of my research so far and also my ongoing approach--prototypes are tools I have used to research so far, also sharing this site and its philosophy
      • Main takeaway: need to ground further on what about design education I am trying to investigate
    Feedback From Peers
  • Reflecting on the non-linear nature of design education, sometimes you can't fully understand what you're currently learning until you're further along in your education → so much of design education is "choose your own adventure"
  • Lean into the CURRENT student perspective, most material out there is geared towards educators, make it specific to the time--what if I made a class proposal for Parsons?
  • The importance of hierarchy, titles, degrees? I'm playing into it but there are also so many critiques of it in terms of accessibility

    • Tuesday, November 4, 2025


    Reading + Researching + Prototyping
  • Audited and cleaned up my 256 library so it can more accurately reflect the concept and actual resources I have used so far (acts both functional for me and as a bibliography for entire project → feel confident enough to make public
  • Now grinding on how I can make a new web page for my thesis exchange survey, w results to make it part of the research itself

    • Friday, October 31, 2025


    Design Matrix Group Exercise
  • Using aesthetic, content and composition randomly generated to create a new end result
  • ↳ Our project: cyanotype | Poetry Foundation Poem of the day | Google Arts and Culture
  • Cyanotype Image Library Web: A collection of cyanotype styled images inspired by the poem "All Hallows" by Louise Glück.
  • It was good to actually make and complete a project even within the limited scope and time, makes me feel more confident that actually making something--anything for my thesis will be productive
    • Small Group Feedback w Beatriz
  • Host my event earlier in the semester and make my book findings from it?
  • Utilising the audience in thesis exchange to collect answers and research


    • Monday, October 27, 2025


    Design Harder Book Launch @ Index Space
  • Design Harder by Erik Carter, designed by NoIdeas, published by BookIdeas (NoIdeas new imprint)
  • Essays critiquing aspects of graphic design, often looking at systems rather than individual fault, there's no perfect answer for solving these problems
  • So many people attended this event! (200+) made me think about how people would be interested in design events looking at critique/book → it was also free which might be incentive
    • Finished book: Monday, November 3, 2025
  • Finished reading Design Harder, made me think a lot about how I can structure my book for thesis and how I can make my workload feel less daunting
  • Tackles some systemic issues that does not necessarily have "solutions" but is able to discuss them in a critical yet informative way → rele to the problem I have been mulling over
  • Large part of the book is using history as a way to frame the point he is trying to make

    • Friday, October 24, 2025


    1 on 1 Feedback w Lydia
  • Making the project more personal might resolve the problem of it not addressing every facet of design education
  • ↳ Who is your audience? If an audience is not represented, can just shift the angle to represent a specific one
  • Feeling like I have to gather content/research before I can start the making process → making as a response to material in my research
  • Can I make some prototypes that have "something to say" because of the way it is presented/designed? The design itself is the message


    • Thursday, October 23, 2025


    Documenting Research
  • New html page for documenting my research process and plan → running list of people I want to interview
  • ↳ Are there ways to make this more interesting? Instead of just a text file translated into a website?
  • Visual inspiration for preseting my research on web → sketches
  • Framework104 Parsons CD 2024-- currently reading and seeing how they structured their interviews on print
    • TO PUBLISH 256 Housekeeping:
  • Update and audit 256 image details
  • Have 256 ready for public viewing (mobile friendly)
  • Make Open Studio Notebook public + post (by end of October)

    • BODY OF WORK

  • Coming neuroscience and design/fine art to push identity
  • Installation that pairs scientists with artists to communicate research--collaborative project that leads to public showcase
  • How design can help make science accessible (TED Talk)
    • Index Sketch 1 Index Sketch 2 Index Sketch 3 Index Sketch 4

    Friday, October 17, 2025


    Thinking About Forms
  • Existing examples of multi-form projects? How does each form contribute to the overall body of work?
  • Distribution methods? How are people gaining access to the work?
  • A Toolkit for Gathering by Draw Down-- super helpful book I've been reading
  • Reach a lot of people → website | Showcase great work → exhibition | Connect with peers → meal | Create a record of scholarship → publication
  • Position (What do you want to do?) ▶ Interests (Why do you want to do it?) ▶ Options (How else can you achieve these interests?)
  • Do I want my book to be interactive/instructional/workbook style?
    • Concept Feedback w Beatriz
  • How can I insert myself into the project? Using lived experience can prevent highly specified critique/disagreement
  • Everyone designs with an accent, how much do I want this project to include it?
  • Who do I want to reach with this project? Faculty/institution/prospective students--ultimaitely I want this to be informative but also hopefully make a proactive change


    • THESIS EXCHANGE: Friday, October 10, 2025


    Thesis Exchange 1
  • Presented initial research and direction to peers
  • Exploring ways to make design education more accessible and experimental
  • Looking at examples of alternative education models and spaces
  • Kind of meta: my thesis wouldn’t just be about education; it would performs education too— through research, documentation, and participation
    • WORKING THESIS STATEMENT
  • Researching and understanding design education, with a particular interest in how we might work toward a more globalised and inclusive system of design learning that supports the next generation of designers
  • I’m hoping to explore how various pedagogical approaches, cultural contexts, and material practices can be meaningfully integrated to better serve a more interconnected world.


    • Friday, September 26, 2025


    Revising 256
  • Making it a more subject specific archive on material that is relevant to design education/theory
  • Useful library of references for myself while also showing what I am being informed by to an audience
  • Can this archive take a proper role in my final thesis outcome?
  • What are ways to display the archive in a more functional/artistic way?


    • Friday, September 19, 2025


    256 Project Critique
  • Who is the intended audience for this project? Personal documentation / public interaction?
  • ↳ Functions of the site making it something bigger (e.g. a screenshot option for the "mess" page, users can save their physical organisation)
  • The visual aesthetic of the site matching the content-- this current 256 not exactly but for future iterations: education--notebook/classroom/lab etc
  • Each of the view modes of images similar to the idea of learning styles, finding the most effective learning style/visual viewing format


    • Saturday, September 13, 2025


    Sketches for a spatial presentation of my image archive
  • Should spatial connections be drawn explicitly (threads, lines, clusters) or left implicit for viewers to discover?
  • Can filters reorganise space dynamically, or should they just highlight within the same layout?
  • What affordances signal to the viewer that they're in a "working studio" rather than a finished gallery?
  • Should the archive feel controlled and systematic, or messy and lived-in, like a studio wall?
  • How can I make the interaction delightful and engaging but still hold context and meaning to the overall concept?

    • Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Image 4