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:

developing a system for documenting interview responses for this site


  • WED, NOV 19, 2025: developing a system for documenting interview responses for this site
  • MON, NOV 17, 2025: conducting first interviews + applying for grant funding
  • FRI, NOV 14, 2025: preparing open call on socials + sharing this site publically
  • TUE, NOV 4, 2025: working on getting my process site live for thesis exchange
  • MON, NOV 3, 2025: updating research library and preparing to publish
  • FRI, OCT 31, 2025: reading Design Harder by Erik Carter & ideating prototypes
  • THU, OCT 23, 2025: coming up with a comprehensive timeline and research plan
  • FRI, OCT 17, 2025: exploring multi-form projects and distribution methods
  • FRI, OCT 10, 2025: presenting initial research and direction
  • FRI, SEP 26, 2025: solidifying thesis statement + concept direction
  • FRI, SEP 19, 2025: presenting her 256 project critique
  • THU, SEP 18, 2025: grinding 256 project for crit
  • SAT, SEP 13, 2025: starting 256 project

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 19, 2025

Monday, November 17, 2025


Interview 1: 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.
    • 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