Portfolio Guidance

BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design – Digital Portfolios

The following guidelines will help you to create your portfolio, but it is important to note that you aren’t restricted to these. Whatever you choose to include, the most important thing to show is that you’re interested and passionate about product and furniture design.

Content

1. Use a front cover, 1st page, with name and course applied for
2. You can use a website, video, or a PDF format. For PDF, please ensure your portfolio is between A3-A2 page size, try to keep below a 20mb file. For video, please either host your work on a platform such as Youtube, or bring the original file.
3. Tailor your portfolio towards your audience (the reviewer) by starting with your best piece of work.
4. Provide brief notes (annotations), which explain your work. Try to summarise why, where, and how you did it: we are interested in the details!
5. Show us a diverse range of work, perhaps including: technical drawings, observational sketches, renderings, design process, three-dimensional work, CAD work, graphic designs, or photos of made objects.
6. We suggest between 10-20 pages of work.
7. If you don’t have much work of your own, research contemporary product/furniture examples and explain why you like them, or how they’ve inspired you.
8. If you're coming from a traditional route such as A Level or BTEC training try to include evidence of a 3D design process.
9. If you come from a more specific Product/Furniture background it would be useful to include: research, technical drawings (use of 3D modelling if appropriate), testing models, design development sequence e.g. full projects to completion.
10. Photograph large 3D work and consider the context where it would be used to give a sense of scale i.e. with users and in an appropriate environment.
11. It is important to show final pieces, but it is perhaps even more important to show the development of them. We want to see the thinking behind your work and how your ideas develop. This can be demonstrated through sketchbooks and journals with notes.

Skills we would like to see

1. Hand drawing.
2. Creative thinking.
3. Design Development.
4. Evidence that you’re enthusiastic about the subject.

MA Design and Visualisation – Digital Portfolios

The content of your digital portfolio and the skills it demonstrates should be the same as if you were creating a physical portfolio. Please see below our guidance to help you organise and create your MA Design and Visualisation digital portfolio.

Content

1. Please start your portfolio with a short statement introducing yourself, your aspirations, what we can expect to see in your portfolio, and if there are any specific parts that you would like us to focus on and why. When preparing your personal statement, please answer the following questions:
• Why have you chosen to apply for MA Design and Visualisation at Birmingham City University?
• What course you studied before applying for this course?
• What can you bring to this course?
• What do you want to learn from this course?
• What interests you about this course?
2. We would like to see at least 4 ideas and concepts. You should include at least one project from start to finish – showing your source of inspiration, all iterations for the concept, technical ability, and research processes.
3. It is useful to include any live projects, competitions or industry projects, as this can highlight your potential.
4. We would like to see a variety of work using a variety of techniques. This can be from any design-based courses you have undertaken, and should highlight your interests linked to the MA Design and Visualisation course.
5. The order you present your work in is the order we will view it, so structure your work in a clear and organised way. For example, you may find it useful to start with your best-detailed project that shows your journey in a project from start to finish followed by the other projects which could just be a short statement on the Design Objective, Rationale and the final outcome with any key techniques you want to highlight to us in that project.
6. If you are including work that was created as part of a collaborative team project, it is important that you state what your role was in the project and evidence the specific design elements that you contributed towards the project.

Skills we would like to see

1. Evidence of creative thinking.
2. Use of a structured design process for idea development, linked to contemporary or historical theories.
3. Evidence of experimentation using a range of media, materials and technologies.
4. Problem-solving abilities and rationale.
5. Evidence of your 3D digital software skills (important).
6. Evidence that you are passionate about the course.

Format

1. Submit your digital portfolio as a single PDF file.
2. Your digital portfolio should be no more than 20MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
3. You can add any external website links to your video and animation work in your PDF portfolio. Please check that these links work before you submit your portfolio and they can be viewed without a password. We will not be able to view links that require a password.

MA Interior Architecture and Design – Digital Portfolios

Your portfolio will form the basis of your application’s evaluation and should include the following:

Content

Show us what you know, your unique talent and your areas of interest.

1. Show us your Final Major Project from your undergraduate course. This project work must demonstrate how you have applied your research, evolved your initial ideas into a credible design scheme. Please include:
• Your research and critical analysis about the topic, including innovative precedent case studies.
• Your appreciation of typical user behaviours and expectations.
• The development of your design approach and a strategic design process.
• The critical and creative evolution of your concepts as an iterative process of continual refinement.
• Final proposals including architectural facilities and envisioned atmospheres.
• Finessed technical detail drawings.
2. Include other projects from final year or second year undergraduate programme.
3. Illustrate the professional or creative experiences, events or happenings that have been significant for you as a designer.
4. Include projects that link to any work placements/practical training or architectural employment (this may include technical work as well as design and presentation work).
5. Are you accomplished in other ways? For example dancing, writing, poetry, photography, music, art, sport….tell us about your passions, hobbies and commitments.

Skills

Understandings, processes and attributes that we would like to see.

• Curiosity - How you have conducted the ‘Research Process’; searching for, selecting and appreciating the value of the research material that you have gathered.
• Pro-activity - How you have planned, undertaken any ‘Primary Research’ or ‘Collaborative’ work.
• Judgement - How you have used ‘Critical Analysis’ to demonstrate your new understandings.
• Self-Efficacy – How you have clarified your new ‘Design Insights’ and explained how they have shaped the development of your project and your initial ideas.
• Communication - How you have communicated your ‘Design Thinking’ and approach, and how have you illustrated your specific experiences, experiments and your actions as a Designer.
• Enterprise - How you have evaluated your design ideas, for example… have you focused on discovering and resolving specific design problems?... in order to create innovative design features and details?
• Storytelling - How you have illustrated the iterative nature of ‘Design Development’. Has this had an impact on your ‘Design Process’ and the evolution of your ideas into adapted, modified or refined design concepts?
• Connectivity – How you have managed to connect with and develop an appreciation of the varied perspectives of the key ‘Stakeholders’; Client, Users and Staff, associated with your projects.

Format

Format - The overall file should be submitted as one combined PDF - not more than 15MB, and not as individual files.

Size - Between 20 - 30 slides.

Layout - A clear structure and page layout; show us your ability to present and visualise your knowledge, actions and skills.

Media - Use a variety of media, to illustrate a range of your skills and talents

MArch Architecture - Digital Portfolios

We are looking for motivated and ambitious students with a broad range of experience - this needs to come across in your application and portfolio.

We generally expect applicants to have undertaken at least nine months of practical experience, though we welcome enquiries from those with alternative experience.

Your portfolio will form the basis of the interview discussion and should include the following:

Content

• Final project from your BA course.
• Other projects from final year or second year.
• A copy of your written dissertation or final year essay.
• Excerpts from sketchbooks and workbooks.
• A range of work from your practical training year or architectural employment (this includes technical work as well as design and presentation work).
• Evidence of your RIBA Part 1 exemption (e.g BA certificate).
• Compilation of design experiments, theoretical concepts and detailed precedents or case studies. You should include at least one project from start to finish – showing your source of inspiration, all iterations for the concept, technical ability, design resolution and research processes.
• Illustrate creative experiences, events or happenings that have been significant for you as a designer including any live projects, competitions or industry projects, as this can highlight your potential.
• If you are including work that was created as part of a collaborative team project, it is important that you state what your role was in the project and evidence the specific design elements that you contributed towards the project.

Skills

• Curiosity - how you have conducted the ‘research process
• Judgement - how you have used ‘critical analysis’ to demonstrate new understandings
• Clear and appropriate visual communication showing a range of graphical composition
• Evidence of critical thinking in a creative context
• A structured design process for idea development, linked to contemporary or historical references
• Evidence of experimentation and craft using a range of artistic/digital media, materials and technologies including sculptural or three dimensional work
• Problem-solving abilities in the technical resolution of a project
• Evidence of your 3D digital software ability
• Evidence of creative skills beyond the architecture discipline

Format

• Submit your digital portfolio as one combined PDF no larger than 30mb. Compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
• A clear structure and page layout with a content page and divided sections. Use a landscape orientation.
• You can add any external website links to your video and animation work in your PDF portfolio. Please check that these links work before you submit your portfolio and they can be viewed without a password.

MA Product and Furniture Design

Your portfolio and the skills it demonstrates should include the following:

Content

1. Please start your portfolio with a short statement introducing yourself, your aspirations, and what we can expect to see in your portfolio. When preparing your personal statement, please answer the following questions:
• Why have you chosen to apply for MA Product and Furniture Design at Birmingham City University?
• What course you studied before applying for this course?
• What can you bring to this course?
• What do you want to learn from this course?
• What interests you about this course?
2. We would like to see at least 4 projects. You should include at least one project from start to finish – showing your source of inspiration, all iterations for the concept, technical ability, and research processes.
3. It is useful to include any live projects, competitions or industry projects, as this can highlight your potential.
4. We would like to see a variety of techniques in relation to product and furniture design.
5. If you are including work that was created as part of a collaborative team project, it is important that you state what your role was in the project.

Skills

• Evidence of creative thinking.
• Evidence of idea development linked to contemporary and/or historical theories.
• Evidence of experimentation using a range of media, materials and technologies.
• Problem-solving abilities and rationale.
• Demonstrate conceptual thinking.
• Evidence that you are passionate about the course.

Format

• Submit your digital portfolio as a single PDF file.
• Your digital portfolio should be no more than 20MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
• You can add external website links to your video and animation work in your PDF portfolio. Please check that these links work before you submit your portfolio.

MA Urban Design - Digital Portfolios

Your portfolio is one of the key submissions that the course team reviews to form the basis to evaluate your application. In this highly visual document, consider its overall clarity of order of presentation, in terms of:

Content

An introduction, overview page about you and your developing interest in Urban Design. Include details of what have you studied, experienced in work or wider life that have inspired you to apply to this course.

This should be followed by a visual summary of any experience/work, which may include several of the following:

• Major work from your prior study, covering the key stages of its process of creation
• Analysis, conceptualisation, synthesis
• The process, from exploration, to rationale through to final outcome with any key techniques and challenges overcome that you want to highlight
• Key work, study and/or life experiences relating to considering urban places as live projects, competitions or industry outputs
• Key involvement in areas of collaborative, and/or participatory working
• Experience of strategic thinking and strategic design and planning
• Creativity and exploration of ideas and design ideas, exploring a variety of techniques. This could be from any design-based courses you have undertaken, wider personal explorations and so on – consider and show how they link to Urban Design
• From study, any experience of live projects, competitions or industry projects
• Appreciation of case study / precedent study
• Samples from any academic, practice or other writing relating to themes
• Any other accomplishments that you think define your skill set and might have unique influence on your approach to study and exploration in the subject areas

Skills

• Evidence of creative thinking
• Use of a structured process for idea development, linked to contemporary or historical theories
• Evidence of experimentation using a range of media, materials and systems
• Problem-solving abilities and rationale
• Evidence of digital software skills
• Evidence that you are passionate about the course

Show your...

• Curiosity and enterprise - exploring opportunities and resolving specific design challenges
• Pro-activity - how you have planned, undertaken, managed
• Contextual evaluation - appreciation of places as physical and social entities
• Communication and narrative - illustrating your specific experiences, experiments, and actions: including design process, as the evolution of your ideas into adapted, modified or refined concepts

Format

The format is part of demonstrating your skills and understanding of design communication. This should be a highly visual document, with succinct explanatory writing. Consider the clarity and engagement of information, present a narrative of you – with a structure and order. Use different pages to indicate different stages of your experience, different themes, or types of experience.

Visual elements included might be design drawings, diagrams, photos of built or studied design and ideas with relationship to the urban context. This can be a combination of sketchy, conceptual and technical images.

Typically:

• Combined PDF - up to 25mb (not separate files please)
• Your images with annotated text
• A page of example written content - academically referenced, and/or published in some way, i.e. as a professional output
• Links to a website, online work, etc. - if you have one