Arts Portfolio Reviews

This is your opportunity to meet us, and view our facilities and location while demonstrating your potential. You will also need to prepare a relevant portfolio and 500-word personal statement of interest.

Your portfolio – physical or digital – should provide us with visual evidence for your potential to succeed on this course. The content of your portfolio may include, but is not limited to, a selection of:

• 2D technical drawings (hand-drawn or CAD generated).
• Perspectives and axonometrics (hand-drawn or 3D modelled).
• Sketches and free hand drawing using a range of media
• Graphic design project work
• Design-related production

We examine each application on its own merit. We look for proven interest in the subject, talent and potential to succeed so please do not hesitate to include unconventional elements in your portfolio – this can be documentation of a design object or model you have made.

Please ensure that your portfolio reflects your skills gained so far, as well as your potential to develop them under guidance. It is also important that your portfolio is informative, coherent and selective, showing that you are able to make critical decisions and you are aware of the quality of your work.

You may include finished projects or projects in progress that you are particularly proud of. The physical portfolio can be an A2 folder or A3 journal, or contain a combination of elements, carefully selected and prioritised. If we ask for an e-portfolio, this will usually be a PowerPoint or PDF file, comprising elements mentioned above and transferred into digital format, and properly annotated.

It is very important that your portfolio contains the following information:

Your name and details of the contents (i.e. titles, annotation, etc)

• Relevant work that inspires you
• Work that you have developed and feel proud of
• A range of your skills, including technical ability, observation, mapping, creativity and analysis
• Both 2D and 3D work, appropriately documented through drawings and imagery
• Any accomplishment or award you have received
• Any group projects that you have taken part in.

We do not request a specific size or volume of a portfolio, but we normally expect applicants to show 15-30 images of creative, experimental or finalised design work. We also welcome digital portfolios or show-reels via Flickr, Behance, Isuu, Vimeo, or similar, as well as your personal blog.

The portfolio should have at least one example of critical/academic writing and one example of creative work.

Examples of critical/academic writing you could submit as part of the e-portfolio include:

• a piece of coursework from a previous qualification such as an A-Level, BTEC, etc.
• an essay or piece of written research (from any discipline)
• a film review of at least 200 words
• an analysis of the mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing and/or sound of a film of your choice
• a personal statement that includes a discussion of your career aspirations and plans to achieve them (if you have not already submitted this as part of a UCAS application)

Examples of creative work you could submit as part of the e-portfolio include:

• links to short films you have made, noting the production role (or roles) you undertook if these are not clearly listed in the credits
• storyboards, development documents and/or previsualisations
• short screenplays or excerpts from longer ones
• short stories or poems
• websites, blogs, vlogs and/or podcasts you have created or provided content for
• any other creative work you have undertaken such as photography, art or design
  
  

How to Submit Your E-portfolio

Your e-portfolio could take the form of:

• a website, with all of your portfolio content uploaded to it. In this case, all you would need to do is email us with the website address. Please ensure that the website is viewable to visitors (i.e. no log-in or sign-up is required to access it) or provide a password if you would prefer it to remain private.

OR:

• a zip file of all the different elements of your portfolio, sent as an email attachment. Please ensure that it is not too big to send. If you think this may be the case, please use links (as outlined below) instead.

OR:

• an email that includes links to films on Vimeo or YouTube, with attachments and links to other work.

The portfolio should have at least one example of critical/academic writing and one example of creative work.

Examples of critical/academic writing you could submit as part of the e-portfolio include:

• a piece of coursework from a previous qualification such as an A-Level, BTEC, etc.
• an essay or piece of written research (from any discipline)
• a film review of at least 200 words
• an analysis of the mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing and/or sound of a film of your choice
• a personal statement that includes a discussion of your career aspirations and plans to achieve them (if you have not already submitted this as part of a UCAS application)

Examples of creative work you could submit as part of the e-portfolio include:

• short screenplays or excerpts from longer ones
• short stories or poems
• storyboards, development documents and/or previsualisations
• links to short films you have made, noting the production role (or roles) you undertook if these are not clearly listed in the credits
• websites, blogs, vlogs and/or podcasts you have created or provided content for
• any other creative work you have undertaken such as photography, art or design
  
  

How to Submit Your E-portfolio

Your e-portfolio could take the form of:

• a website, with all of your portfolio content uploaded to it. In this case, all you would need to do is email us with the website address. Please ensure that the website is viewable to visitors (i.e. no log-in or sign-up is required to access it) or provide a password if you would prefer it to remain private.

OR:

• a zip file of all the different elements of your portfolio, sent as an email attachment. Please ensure that it is not too big to send. If you think this may be the case, please use links (as outlined below) instead.

OR:

• an email that includes links to films on Vimeo or YouTube, with attachments and links to other work.

Your portfolio and interview are essential elements of your application to BA (Hons) Fine Art to the University of Suffolk.

Here are some tips from the lecturers who may interview you and look at your portfolio.

What should I put in my portfolio?

There are three main areas that we will look for in your portfolio:

• Completed examples of work. Your work should demonstrate the skills, techniques and approaches you use. We are open to looking at a range of media; you might include examples of drawing, painting, mixed media, digital media, photography, sculpture and/or installation. The quality of your documentation imagery is important as you want to show your work in the best light possible. You may include recent works in progress as well.
• Sketchbooks are an important part of your portfolio – they show your ideas and development of processes. We are looking to understand how you work, what is your thinking process (mind-maps are good to see), when you are making, what do you do 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. This is known as your methodology.
• Contextualisation – show us notes and examples of artists that inspire you. These could be exhibitions you’ve visited, artists you’ve looked at in books, magazines and online. We’re particularly interested in learning about what contemporary art interests you.

How much work should I include?

• Be selective – don’t show us everything you’ve ever made. We’re interested in seeing your most recent work.
• Remember we will initially look at your portfolio without you, so the selection, order and presentation of work is important.

Should I just include my course work from school or college?

• We like to see some of your independent work and thinking as well as past course work if you are applying from school or college.
• Make your work stand out – remember we look at a large number of portfolios, so make sure we remember your work for the right reasons! Don’t be wacky for the sake of it.
• Be innovative, imaginative, creative and enthusiastic.

I have been working independently and so don’t have work from more formal training – is this a problem?

• No, our students come to us with a range of life experiences and we want to know about how you respond to the world creatively. So, again, include a selection of art work that you have developed independently.

How should I present my work?

• Presentation is important, and we like to see that you respect your own work – so take time to include effective documentation (well-lit and in focus) along with clear notation and labelling (dimensions of the work and date it was made).
• Do spend time putting your portfolio together. It doesn’t need to be high tech or made with using sophisticated software – it’s the work, not the technology that we’re looking at.
• Remember to clearly name your portfolio document.

I’m nervous about the interview, will you be interrogating me about my work?

• The interview is not overly formal and we see it as a way to find out more about you, your approach and your work, as well as for you to ask us about the course and our approach.
• Above all show enthusiasm and self-motivation for your subject.
• We will ask you to talk about selected examples of your work, what artists and exhibitions influence, and your aspirations.

Remember portfolios come in all shapes and sizes, the above points are an indication of what you might include.

Please find below some of the things it is useful for us to see in an application portfolio. However, this is not a set ‘checklist’, and every applicant will have had a different creative background prior to applying to University. If you do not have some of the items suggested, it will not hinder your application.

• Include a range of work demonstrating creativity in its broadest sense. If you can, provide examples of applied design, typography and digital skills.
• Show work that represents graphic design with ideas at its centre and that aims to communicate a message.
• Provide examples of drawing skills in a range of different mediums.
• Demonstrate your ability to analyse your own work and the work of others.
• Show a project from start to finish, so we can gauge your creative journey and understand your design process.

Your portfolio is your opportunity to shine in an interview: it is your chance to show us what inspires and excites you. We encourage you to include any visual and written work in your portfolio that will show your creativity and skills in visual communication.

When compiling a portfolio applicants should consider:

• Consider groups/bodies/projects as well as individual pieces
• If relevant bring work made with using ‘other’ mediums. E.g. drawing work is just as relevant for a photography interview if important to the applicant
• Bring a sketch/work/ideas book
• Bring samples of written work, if possible
• Presentation - whilst presentation is important, it is the work itself that is going to be judged. Concentrate on the content!
• What is relevant: does your work match the course you’re applying for?