This semester in GIT 540: Advanced Principles of User Experience, I had the opportunity to take part in one of my favorite assignments so far — recreating a Yale School of Architecture poster with complete typographic and compositional accuracy. The project was part of Lab 4.2: Copying the Masters, an exercise designed to strengthen precision, craftsmanship, and analytical skills in visual communication.

Rather than creating something new, this lab challenged us to reverse-engineer an existing professional design. It forced me to slow down, observe carefully, and understand the deep decision-making behind hierarchy, spacing, type selection, and grid structure.

Working in Adobe InDesign and Illustrator, I focused on re-creating the poster exactly as it was originally designed:
• matching fonts
• rebuilding the composition
• redrawing the graphics with the Pen Tool
• rebuilding spacing, alignment, and rhythm
• exporting for print production

My Experience in GIT 540 (MS User Experience Program)

GIT 540 has been a transformative class for me. Although the course was taught online, with lectures delivered via Zoom and all communication happening on Slack, it still felt highly interactive and collaborative. The structure of the class encouraged constant feedback, critique, and teamwork — much like a real creative or UX team workflow.

What I Learned

Throughout the course, I deepened my understanding of:

• Visual hierarchy

• Typographic systems

• Layout and grid theory

• UX-centered communication

• Team-based creative production

• Professional critique and revision cycles

• File preparation and design workflow

Professors and Guidance

The course was taught by:

• Professor Cameron Rennacker

• Professor Cynthia Storm

Both provided detailed feedback throughout the module, helping refine my design eye and strengthen my craft. Their critiques helped me approach the poster with clarity, precision, and intention.

A major part of this class was working within Group 23, where each of us recreated a project inspired by a different artist or designer for the Zaha Hadid Module 1 project.

My group partners and their selected artists were:

Group 23 — Artist Assignments (Module 1 Project)

• Alexandra Greer — Yayoi Kusama

• Hira Yasir (me) — Zaha Hadid

• Keven Goh — Yohji Yamamoto

We collaborated through Slack, sharing progress, exchanging critiques, and supporting each other through the design-development process. This peer interaction strengthened our research, revision, and creative decision-making for the Zaha Hadid project.

Feedback & Peer Review
- Gave feedback to two peers
- Received feedback from two peers
- Received instructor feedback on composition, type accuracy, and hierarchy

This process helped me refine my work and also understand how different people interpret the same visual system.

Final Thoughts

Recreating the Yale Architecture poster taught me far more than I expected.

This project is now a key piece in my growing design portfolio.