Portfolio Guidance

BA (Hons) Art and Design

This course is for students with a diverse range of interests, experiences and capabilities.

You might have previously studied art/design/media, but have not identified a pathway to industry yet or are excited about new possibilities in making wider creative connections, through incorporating music, maths, coding, digital technologies, new media, etc.

You might not have previously studied art/design/media, but are interested in science, maths or music, and the opportunity to explore design methodologies. Therefore, your portfolio may not be a typical art and design portfolio.

Format if you are opting for an online and digital portfolio review

• This could be a link to a self-shot video of you explaining your interests and why you want to do a creative degree, with evidence of a passion for creative practice in its broadest sense (no more than 5 minutes in length).
• Alternatively, this could be a PDF, PowerPoint or Word Document of experimentations you may have carried out, with links to video, animations and moving image work, etc. (no more than 10MB file size). Please test your links to make sure they work and are easily accessed. We will not be able to view links that require a password.

Format if you are opting to bring your physical portfolio to show it to us in person

• This could be physical examples of any experimentations you have carried out or work you have made.

The aim of the portfolio is to make sure this is the right course for you.

Tips for your portfolio: Content

• Tell us about your interests and why you want to do a creative degree.
• Evidence a passion and curiosity for creative practice in its broadest sense.
• Show us a range of ideas or work, which can be experiments, research or work in progress, using thinking skills, making skills or digital skills.
• We are interested in your thoughts and processes and how you develop your ideas and problem solve.
• You can include work you have made at School or College, or work you have made independently.

BA (Hons) Art and Design with Creative Technologies

This course is for students with a diverse range of interests, experiences and capabilities.

You might have previously studied art/design/media, but have not identified a pathway to industry yet or are excited about new possibilities in making wider creative connections, through incorporating music, maths, coding, digital technologies, new media, etc.

You might not have previously studied art/design/media, but are interested in science, maths or music, and the opportunity to explore design methodologies. Therefore, your portfolio may not be a typical art and design portfolio.

Format if you are opting for an online and digital portfolio review

• This could be a link to a self-shot video of you explaining your interests and why you want to do a creative degree, with evidence of a passion for creative practice in its broadest sense (no more than 5 minutes in length).
• Alternatively, this could be a PDF, PowerPoint or Word Document of experimentations you may have carried out, with links to video, animations and moving image work, etc. (no more than 10MB file size). Please test your links to make sure they work and are easily accessed. We will not be able to view links that require a password.

Format if you are opting to bring your physical portfolio to show it to us in person

• This could be physical examples of any experimentations you have carried out or work you have made.

The aim of the portfolio is to make sure this is the right course for you.

Tips for your portfolio: Content

• Tell us about your interests and why you want to do a creative degree.
• Evidence a passion and curiosity for creative practice in its broadest sense.
• Show us a range of ideas or work, which can be experiments, research or work in progress, using thinking skills, making skills or digital skills.
• We are interested in your thoughts and processes and how you develop your ideas and problem solve.
• You can include work you have made at School or College, or work you have made independently.

BA (Hons) Fine Art

This course is ideally suited for students who have previously or who are currently studying A-level Art subjects (Fine Art, Art and Design, Textiles, Photography, Media, etc.), students from BTEC Art and Design or Foundation Art and Design Diploma courses or for those who have developed an interest in art practice via an alternative route.

Alongside examples of completed works, we are also interested in quick experiments, sketches, ideas, notes and photographs that have been influenced by your environment, experiences, exhibitions you have seen, books you have read or research you have done to indicate ideas you have for work which you might not yet have had the resources to make.

We welcome applicants of all ages and from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio so even if you do not meet our typical offer criteria it can still be worth applying.

You have the option to attend an in person portfolio review or to submit your portfolio digitally for an online portfolio review.

What we would like to see in your portfolio

1. Making and thinking skills
2. The development of ideas
3. Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and processes
4. Creativity and visual curiosity
5. Self-motivation, individuality and a sense of your interests, passion and personality
6. Commitment to art practice

Format if you are opting for an online and digital portfolio review

1. Please submit your work as one PDF, PowerPoint or Word Document.
2. Aim to include approximately 20 pieces of work.
3. Your digital portfolio should be no more than 10MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
4. Add any links to video, animations, and moving image work to your PDF, PowerPoint or Word Document. (Please check that these links work before you submit your portfolio and that they can be easily accessed. We will not be able to view links that require a password).

Format if you are opting to bring your physical portfolio to show it to us in person

1. Don’t worry about formally mounting work or presenting it in plastic sleeves, we don’t need to see finalised pieces, we are interested in your experimentation, making and idea development.
2. Your portfolio can include up to 20 physical examples of any experimentations you have carried out or work made.
3. If applicable you should document large works or works that cannot be bought in and present these as photographs within your portfolio.

Tips for your portfolio: Content

1. A range of work which can be experiments, research or work in progress (unfinished pieces). Examples of the type of work that you can include are drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, animations, films, sculptures, installations, multimedia outcomes, digital artwork and textiles (photographs of larger or 3D works can be included as representations in physical portfolios; for digital portfolios please indicate scale and medium in the documentation of work).
2. We are interested in your processes; the way you develop your ideas and approaches to making. As such we are keen to see tests and some sketchbook works.
3. You can include work you have made at School, College or University and/or work you have made independently or outside of an educational curriculum.
4. Include your most recent work and present it in a coherent order. Remember the order you present it in is the order it will be viewed in.
5. Demonstrate your interest and awareness of contemporary art practice by providing evidence of exhibitions you’ve visited and artists whose work you have looked at.