Ryan Nabyll

Parenting Cycles is the topic for my two final projects, exploring the evolving nature of parenthood across generations and how inherited parenting patterns shape individuals, families, and cultures. Through two distinct mediums, a reflective brochure style zine and an interactive educational game. This work attempts to deconstruct, understand, and ultimately reimagine what it means to be a parent in today’s world.

The poster acts as a visual distillation of the themes that tie both projects together. Using geometric, isometric forms that resemble three dimensional cubes, each shape represents a different “stage” or interpretation of parenting: rigid tradition, compartmentalized transitions, and fractured yet hopeful reconstruction. The perceptual ambiguity of the shapes appearing differently depending on the viewer’s perspective echoes the subjective and often invisible complexities of upbringing and generational influence.

The first project for ISTD, a 6 paged brochure style zine, maps out the milestones and societal shifts in parenting throughout time. It takes the reader on a journey from authoritarian models of the past to more emotionally aware, child-centered approaches today. While reflecting on how cultural, economic, and political forces have shaped these transformations. Typography, iconography, and visual rhythm are used intentionally to create space for reflection and discomfort, especially when addressing issues such as neglect, projection, or emotional inheritance.

The second project for FMP, is a parental education game designed to raise awareness about everyday parenting choices and their long-term psychological impact. The game simulates decision making moments between parent and child, allowing players to witness how different approaches ripple over time. The goal is not to “win,” but to gain self-awareness and empathy toward both the parent and the child.

My name is Ryan Nabyll, a Singaporean game designer who also works across art and photography. I took up graphic design as a way to sharpen how I communicate ideas and to better bridge form and meaning in my work. These projects combines all those disciplines, narrative design, visual storytelling, and emotional intent to craft experiences that inform and resonate.

This body of work is deeply personal. I’ve always aspired to be a father someday, and that aspiration has driven me to reflect not only on how I was raised, but on how I want to raise someone else. I believe in being intentional, in breaking unhealthy cycles, and in learning from both tradition and change. My design process is guided by that same curiosity and care: to see things clearly, question assumptions, and create with purpose.

In a world where generational trauma is often inherited silently, Parenting Cycles aims to make the invisible visible. Whether you’re a parent, a child, or both, these works invite you to pause and consider the choices, histories, and possibilities that shape us all.