the mouse is her sorcerer

Thesis publication, 6 × 8.5 in, 2025

the mouse is her sorcerer is a constellation of short stories I wrote as my MFA thesis. In writing them, I deconstructed projects from the past two years into fragments of objects, processes, and memories, and repurposed these fragments as narrative devices and characters. Guided by a narrator who addresses the desire of the main protagonist—the reader, you—to read about the designer’s thesis, the narrative unfolds as characters like the mouse, the snail, and the woman enter, each offering their own stories and glimpses into the evolving thesis. The only moments of truth appear in the image inserts, where the real projects behind the fiction are revealed. The publication is bound by a central ‘portal,’ designed to be read in all four directions—a circular motion.

Interview Magazine

Magazine, 10.5 × 16.5 in, 2025—

Issues I worked on as Graphic Designer at Interview Magazine, working closely with Art Director Jack Vhay.

Malerie Marder

Photobook, 23 × 30 cm, 2026—

In-development photobook for artist and photographer Malerie Marder.

It Is Quite Nice Here 也是怪好

Publication, 15 × 20 cm, 2022

In 2020, my grandparents’ visit from China to our farm in Australia was unexpectedly extended from three months to two years. During this time, shaped by daily farm life, we got to know each other more deeply and gradually grew closer. As their return approached, I created It Is Quite Nice Here, gathering memories and traces of their time on the farm, structured around seeds as a central element of the book.

ant bear

Type design, 2024

A type specimen of the typeface ant bear created for the anthology of the same title, extending its exploration of miniature.

Paul Rand Lecture Poster Series

Animated posters, variable duration, 2025

The Paul Rand Lecture Poster Series is created for guest artists and designers visiting the Graphic Design department at the Yale School of Art as part of the Paul Rand Lecture Series. Each guest is envisioned as an inhabitant of an alternate miniature world—their work meticulously reproduced in miniature and photographed in situ within a mail cubby at school. If you look closely, you will find a continuous narrative woven into them.

Fall 2024 Oral Presentation Scripts

Riso-printed publication, 4 × 7 in, 126 pages, 2024

A compilation of oral presentation scripts delivered by second-year Graphic Design students in September 2024. Each script has been preserved in its original typeface and point size, with minimal editorial interventions limited to the use of Times New Roman at 14pt. Across 37 copies, the spines of these editions form an extract from Lydia Davis’s short story, “The Mouse.” The publication is housed in a book sleeve, cradling a token of the season: an autumn leaf, plucked from the very moment this book seeks to preserve.

Poster for Seb McLauchlan’s talk

Poster, 2024

Wind and All

33 collage posters, 47 × 66 in, 2022

A series of experimental collage posters using local materials and my own photographs of everyday items, tools, and animals on the farm where I lived with my family. I wheatpasted one up as I made new collages, and this was the beginning of an unexpected exhibition, where nature and time was creating alongside me, adding final touches to my artwork.

Elastra

Type design, 2025

A revival of W. A. Dwiggins' Electra. My revival features accentuated serifs—bolder and longer—drawn to preserve the rounded edges visible in the original scans at 8pt. This specimen showcases the intended use of Elastra at small point sizes.

First Breath Second Sight

Publication, 8 × 10 in, 2025

The design of the Yale Photo MFA ’25 Thesis Photobook—First Breath, Second Sight—evokes the softness and lightness of breath, offering a subtle invitation to uncover what lies beneath, leading the reader towards the experience of "sight." Project and production supervised by Lesley A. Martin.

ant bear

Publication, 2.4 × 3.3 in, 2024

An anthology that explores the idea of miniature as an alternate universe, interweaving essays on shrunken perspectives and what they signify, with a selection of fairytales featuring miniature figures and settings. In this book, fairytales are treated right-side up, suggesting their truths, while theoretical essays are upside down, requiring flipping and turning to aid reading.

The Egg in The Landscape

Publication, 11 × 14 in, 2023

Inspired by André Pieyre de Mandiargues’ short story, from which I also borrowed the title. He explores how a slight imperfection in a windowpane distorts reality into a surreal universe, and vice versa, questioning which is actually real. In response, I photographed my surroundings through a marble, using it to see imaginary worlds which I then drew. Drawings are woven with extracts from the story hidden between the folds.

anti-reading

Type design, 2022

Miscellanea (Mouse hole)

Installation in An oblique character... , exhibition, 2025

Trail, Masses

Publication, 8.5 × 11 in, 2023

An unbound collage book composed of graphic elements extracted from snail-eaten mail, featuring visual elements created through making abstract-shaped paper, tracing the feeding paths of snails, and embossing the remnants of eaten envelopes.

Sketch Stroll

Letterpress poster, handcut linoleum, 2024

Letterpress poster made during Typographics Printing Program led by Dafi Khune.

From Sunrise to Dusk

Photobook, 244 × 338 mm, 2022

Birthday

Collagebook, 44 × 338 mm, 2022

Wood Worm

Type design, 2022

...

Coral Typography Tool

Resin 3d print, 2021

Inspired by coral reefs I modelled these letters in zBrush and 3d printed them to make a physically arrangeable typography tool. This tool kit provides three variations per letter and has three base forms to play with. In addition, coral extensions of four lengths are also provided to allow for more composition possibilities. Each comes with 10 in the kit.

36 Second St, Black Rock

Publication, 245 × 330 mm, 2022

After being away from home for some time, I returned to find my mail devoured in the mailbox. The snails had taken up residence in my mailbox and helped themselves to a paper feast. They created beautiful organic patterns and textures. 54 envelopes from my snail mail collection are presented in this book.

Music in the Realm of Fireflies 莲的一生

CD case and booklet design, 14 × 13 cm, 2024

CD case and booklet designed for Rhymoi Music.

The Bells of Istanbul 伊斯坦布尔的钟声

CD case and booklet design, 14 × 13 cm, 2021

CD case and booklet designed for Rhymoi Music.

Distinguished Artist Colloquim

Poster, 2024

Sangah Shin

Coding, 2021

Completed in collaboration with designer and artist Sangah Shin.

Eaten type

Variable typeface, 2024

An exploration of how type can mimic the way language erodes over time. The typeface is structured around a variable axis of time and is activated by letters received “this year,” “last year,” “three years ago,” and “six years ago.” With each passing year, the text becomes more degraded, until eventually, no message remains. The typeface was developed as an intervention on Helvetica Neue Thin.

A Narcissistic Mouse Poet

Installation in An oblique character... , exhibition, 2025

My Hand On Yours

Coding, website, 2021

If we can no longer be intimate in the physical world, can I place my hand on yours on the internet? I made My Hand On Yours during lockdown in response to the new social distancing rules. People are invited to upload images of their hand/s performing an activity in their private space to the website and place my virtual hand on top of theirs to create intimacy.

myhandonyours.com

Secret Messenger

Coding, website, 2022

Written message is encrypted as it is saved relevant to the window width at the time it is written. Receiver will need to decode the message by resizing the window to the same width as when it was written by the sender. Any other window width will display the message as jumbled.

frozen-ocean-03404.herokuapp.com

Frog

Type design, 2022

Coral Type

Type design, 2022

Type application posters

Posters, type design, 2024

A series of posters designed using my typefaces.

Coco Yuancocoyuanayi@gmail.com@ all, publications, posters, packaging, typefaces, coding, objects

Coco Yuan
cocoyuanayi@gmail.com
@

all, publications, posters, packaging,
typefaces, coding, objects