Portfolio Advice
Along with advice on how to prepare your portfolio, we will also give you an insight to the interview process and cover the most common questions applicants have about preparing a portfolio. Overall, we will be looking for three main things while reviewing your work:
- Your subject knowledge and influences;
- The development of your ideas and creativity;
- Your ability to show a range of skills and display of your talents.
What is a portfolio?
A portfolio is a compilation of your best work. It is a means of demonstrating your ideas, concepts and creativity, and it can be displayed in the form of a digital folder, photography box or physical folder. You should present a wide body of work and it must be relevant to the course you are applying for.
Why is a portfolio important?
It is our first step to understanding you as a candidate and a great way to get a glimpse of your creative thought process and personality. There are no right or wrong answers and don’t be afraid to show something unfinished. What’s most important is that you showcase the development of ideas and your ability to bring them to life.
What should be in a portfolio?
Your portfolio should demonstrate how you have challenged yourself and pushed your creative boundaries. It can also be a useful tool to refer back to as a creative reference point as you develop new ideas in future projects.
Show pieces that you feel comfortable talking about and that have pushed you out of your comfort zone. Works can include pieces you have created in school, through external classes, at home or through work – anything that will allow the interviewer to peer into your thought process as an artist.
Along with artistic and creative pieces, we would also like to see evidence of written work in order to assess your critical analysis skills and originality of thought.
Portfolio checklist
- Digital work
- Development work
- A range of different techniques and media
- Experimental work
- Finished pieces
- Photographs
- Sketches
- Written work
Preparing a portfolio
A portfolio is your opportunity to show us your potential. As such, you should select your strongest pieces ideally over course of three years up to and including your present work. This the best way to demonstrate your skill development and progress correlating with the learning outcomes of the programmes. Here are some more important tips to bear in mind when preparing your portfolio:
- Present your work in a way that is clear and makes sense to you and the interviewer. Ensure the portfolio starts strong and ends strong too.
- Allow ample time to prepare and give it careful thought – it is your work and we want to see the best of it!
- Speak to your tutors and get opinions from those in your network
- Highlight areas where you used IT skills and, where you can, add links to external pages which show off your work. This could include an Instagram handle, Facebook page or even a webpage if you already have your own brand or business.
- Importantly, remember to have fun! This is your chance to demonstrate a uniqueness that reflects you, your culture and why you stand out.
Display methods
A portfolio can be displayed in the form of a digital folder, photography box or physical folder.
Digital portfolio
Portfolio can also be presented in digital form such as in a PDF or PowerPoint. Not only is this a digital portfolio easier to download, but it will also illustrate versatility of your skills to the interviewer.
Sketchbooks
They should showcase a broad range of skills, showing observation, curiosity, experimentation, note-taking, ideas generation and conceptual thinking.
Photo boxes
Can be used to display small work that is textured and needs to be protected.
Blog or website
Make sure your website is professional and displayed in a way that is easy to navigate. There are a number of online web builders out there, so get started!