Hyantis is a space for metadesign projects. It is run and maintained by Eraldo Federico Acchiappati.

Metadesign: The Design of Design

The word meta originates from Greek, meaning beyond or after. In its current usage, it is often employed as a prefix meaning self-referential. In such cases, terms such as metagames refer to games about games, while metamathematics denotes mathematical theories about mathematics. Following this same understanding, metadesign is defined as the design of design, or, in other words, the act of designing the means by which design itself takes place. Logically and temporally, this translates into designing for future designs.

Hyantis investigates design from a multifaceted perspective, considering social, economic, technological, aesthetic, and philosophical dimensions. Metadesign projects are not concerned with the design of specific solutions. Rather, they explore the preconditions necessary for designing.

The Name: Why Hyantis

Hyantis is a genus of butterfly found primarily in Southeast Asia. While the work conducted under this name is not related to entomology, the butterfly provides a functional metaphor for the forms of transformation addressed by metadesign.

The life cycle of a butterfly, from egg to adult, reflects the layered dynamics of systemic change in design:

• Egg: Represents latent potential and the foundational conditions from which systems may arise.
• Caterpillar: Embodies linear growth and goal-directed optimisation, similar to conventional design practices.
• Chrysalis: A stage of radical reconfiguration, in which previous structures dissolve and new ones begin to emerge. This corresponds to the metadesign process, which operates at the level of enabling transformations.
• Butterfly: Symbolises emergence, adaptability, and the formation of a qualitatively different systemic identity. This stage does not represent continuation, but categorical shift.

The metaphor is adopted to illustrate the principle that significant innovation in design occurs through metamorphosis rather than accumulation. Hyantis is thus concerned with transformation at the level of design conditions and systemic structure.