With art and design courses nationally, the College/School Tutors focus is broad, to cater for a wide range of students. UAL being Europe’s largest specialist university for the creative industries, my role as the College Admissions Tutor, with a remit focus on Home/European students, is to introduce or remind them of specialisms. In the autumn term I travel to partner Schools/Colleges across the country doing just this. I visit students in their creative environments and give them a snapshot of me. Which means a presentation to introduce the UAL environment and its specialist courses within the School of Design + Technology with our Undergraduate offer. This is followed by a creative Workshop, which I deliver with the same energy + integrity as I would to my university students. I share knowledge and conclude with a Q&A, hopefully to inspire and explore options that they may have not been aware of.
Below are links where applicants/students can access YouTube videos, for Portfolio advise, by academics from UAL, including myself.
How to structure your Portfolio https://youtu.be/VBwCYaT3xw8
What to include in a Portfolio https://youtu.be/O9gVKb3HPio
Interviewing with a Portfolio https://youtu.be/KVNyHGaOUwQ
My focus through my creative workshop and the Q&A is formulated in supporting the students to design a Portfolio, which can then be submitted for application to enter Higher Education. The following are the key areas I encourage the students to share.
Confidence: This speaks to having pride in the selection that you present in your work. If you have five projects in your Portfolio and one you deem as weak, take it out. By this, I mean a project that you would not be proud to talk about. It is better to have four strong projects than have one that lowers the standard of all as a collective.
Authenticity: Each project you choose to include in your Portfolio captures with integrity + honesty your creative ability to express idea generation that is original to you. Ideas, thoughts, themes or concepts that you translate onto paper/digital.
Storytelling: Each project should have a narrative, which takes the observer on a logical + methodical journey, with a beginning, middle + end. My analogies are usually framed as Films, Plays, books etc. Easily relatable to students.
Sequence: Present your Portfolio with your strongest project first, for impact and initial engagement. If you feel that all your projects are of equal quality, then select the first being the one that demonstrates your specialism most directly.
Range: Having a diversity of concepts/themes is important, for this demonstrates to the observer your capacity and willingness to explore different areas of study. Having a growth mindset, is key to being open for new creative challenges. Specialism: When academics are reviewing your Portfolio submission for a place on a three/four-year undergraduate programme of study, they seek evidence that you are ready for Level 4 entry to their specialist area. Therefore, within the body of work, it is key to have focus in this area with conviction.
Hi Josh, you have now inspired me in return!
Recruitment is an important part of my role as Academic Course Coordinator on MA Design (Ceramics, Furniture, Jewellery). As a research-based ‘by Project’ MA we ask the applicants to submit a project focus that will frame their time with us and a portfolio that demonstrates their design process, approach and visual identity.
Your focus on confidence, authenticity, storytelling, range and sequence is implicit in how we assess the quality of portfolios, but we haven’t talked about this in our guidelines in the same way we talk about evidence of design process, approaches and visual identity.
You have really given me something to consider for our recruitment process. Thank you! Best wishes, Ulli