Portfolio Guidance
When applying to many of our Arts, Design and Media courses, you will be asked to provide a digital portfolio. This is an opportunity to show us who you are, your artistic ability and your potential.
This page provides a detailed insight into how to prepare the best possible portfolio for your course.
Portfolio submission deadlines
You will be asked to submit a digital portfolio to us within 28 days of receiving your invite to submit a portfolio review. We know that you may be applying to us relatively early in the academic year, while you are still building an updated portfolio, so please note that we are happy for you to submit the following: GCSE work (for undergraduate programmes); work from the previous year; work in progress, such as sketches of ideas; and photos of your work.
Which courses require a portfolio?
You will be asked to submit a digital portfolio if you are applying to the following courses:
- BA Jewellery and Objects
- HND Jewellery and Silversmithing
- BA Jewellery and Silversmithing - Design for Industry (top-up)
For detailed guidance, select your course from the dropdown below.
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BA Jewellery and Objects
The content of your digital portfolio and the skills it demonstrates should be the same as if you were creating a physical portfolio. The only difference is that you will need to submit your portfolio through your applicant portal rather than physically bring it in for us to see.
We recommend that you start by watching our video guidance on creating a digital portfolio, and then take a look at the course-specific guidance below.
Content
- Examples of the type of work that can be included are scans or photos of: sketchbooks, design sheets in any medium, samples of material exploration, jewellery and/or objects made. This is not an exhaustive list so please feel free to include any other work that you think is relevant.
- Try to structure your portfolio in a chronological way that shows your most recent work first, and reflects a genuine relevance and interest in the subject area.
- Include a project brief and ensure your work is clearly labelled, that projects are titled and that page/artefacts are named through annotations.
Skills we would like to see
- Use of a visible design process for idea development
- Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and technologies
- Any relevant work you’ve created outside of academia
- Innovation and enquiry
Format
- Submit your work as one PDF file.
- Your digital portfolio should be no more than 2MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
- 3D work can be represented by including a few photographs of the work from different angles. Remember to show a sense of scale.
- Ensure your work has a good screen resolution and present it in the order you would like it to be seen in.
- To help your reviewer get a better understanding of you and your portfolio please include annotations where relevant.
Once we receive your portfolio, we will provide feedback at the earliest possible opportunity. Please note that we may recommend that you study an alternative course with us – for example, foundation year entry, based on the assessment of your portfolio submission.
HND Jewellery and Silversmithing
The content of your digital portfolio and the skills it demonstrates should be the same as if you were creating a physical portfolio. The only difference is that you will need to submit your portfolio through your applicant portal rather than physically bring it in for us to see.
We recommend that you start by watching our video guidance on creating a digital portfolio, and then take a look at the course-specific guidance below.
Content
- Examples of the type of work that can be included are: paintings, drawings, designs, sketchbooks, 3D models, CAD design work, any jewellery you have made.
- We’re looking for quality rather than quantity so there is no set limit for the amount of work you should include. Try to include as much as possible, focusing on offering the best work you have produced.
- We like to see 3D pieces, so take photographs of your 3D work from a variety of angles to give us the best impression of the work.
- Include design projects from start to finish as they allow us to see the design-thinking and design-processes in action.
- Work outside of prescribed school/college work is always very welcome. For example, if you’ve been making work in a part-time job or a night-class, include this.
- In terms of the structure, it is best if the portfolio corresponds to the layout of the sketchbooks if these are being presented.
- Portfolios should, where possible, be presented by project, with materials relating to each other in the same section. Chronological presentation if useful but not essential.
- To help your reviewer get a better understanding of you and your portfolio please include annotations where relevant.
Skills we would like to see
- The ability to think in three-dimensions.
- Problem-solving.
- Visualisation of processes.
- Evidence that you’re enthused by the subject, or by the subjects you have chosen to explore.
Format
- The accepted formats for your digital portfolio include: PDF, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Open Office Presenter or online.
- There is no preferred file size for your digital portfolio but images should be scales for web use- under 0.5MB each.
- Ensure your work has a good screen resolution and present it in the order you would like it to be seen in.
Once we receive your portfolio, we will provide feedback at the earliest possible opportunity. Please note that we may recommend that you study an alternative course with us – for example, foundation year entry, based on the assessment of your portfolio submission.
BA Jewellery and Silversmithing - Design for Industry (top-up) – Physical Portfolios
It is important to note that portfolios are subjective, but if you’re struggling with ideas of what to include or how to structure it take a look at the following guidance.
Content
- Examples of the type of work that can be included are: paintings, drawings, designs, sketchbooks, 3D models, CAD design work, any jewellery you have made.
- We’re looking for quality rather than quantity so there is no set limit for the amount of work you should include. Try to include as much as possible, focusing on offering the best work you have produced.
- Similarly there is no preferred folder size, but we’d advise that you don’t use a folder that is bigger than A1 as it may be impractical for you to carry.
- We like to see 3D pieces, but photos are acceptable if objects are too large or fragile to transport.
- Include design projects from start to finish as they allow us to see the design-thinking and design-processes in action.
- Work outside of prescribed school/college work is always very welcome. For example, if you’ve been making work in a part-time job or a night-class, include this.
- In terms of the structure, it is best if the portfolio corresponds to the layout of the sketchbooks if these are being presented.
- Portfolios should, where possible, be presented by project, with materials relating to each other in the same section. Chronological presentation if useful but not essential.
Skills we would like to see
- The ability to think in three-dimensions.
- Problem-solving.
- Visualisation of processes.
- Evidence that you’re enthused by the subject, or by the subjects you have chosen to explore.
Preparing for your portfolio review
The last part of putting your portfolio together is to practise speaking about it, as we will ask you about your work and what made you apply to the course during your portfolio review. Be prepared to talk about your interest, passion and how you have worked in the past. It would also be useful to have examples of problem-solving skills where you’ve solved problems in the past.
Remember, this isn’t to put you on the spot, but it’s a dialogue to help us understand your aspirations and how the course fits them.
BA Jewellery and Silversmithing - Design for Industry (top-up) – 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. The only difference is that you will need to submit your portfolio through your applicant portal rather than physically bring it in for us to see.
We recommend that you start by watching our video guidance on creating a digital portfolio, and then take a look at the course-specific guidance below.
Content
- Examples of the type of work that can be included are: paintings, drawings, designs, sketchbooks, 3D models, CAD design work, any jewellery you have made.
- We’re looking for quality rather than quantity so there is no set limit for the amount of work you should include. Try to include as much as possible, focusing on offering the best work you have produced.
- We like to see 3D pieces, so take photographs of your 3D work from a variety of angles to give us the best impression of the work.
- Include design projects from start to finish as they allow us to see the design-thinking and design-processes in action.
- Work outside of prescribed school/college work is always very welcome. For example, if you’ve been making work in a part-time job or a night-class, include this.
- In terms of the structure, it is best if the portfolio corresponds to the layout of the sketchbooks if these are being presented.
- Portfolios should, where possible, be presented by project, with materials relating to each other in the same section. Chronological presentation if useful but not essential.
- To help your reviewer get a better understanding of you and your portfolio please include annotations where relevant.
Skills we would like to see
- The ability to think in three-dimensions.
- Problem-solving.
- Visualisation of processes.
- Evidence that you’re enthused by the subject, or by the subjects you have chosen to explore.
Format
- The accepted formats for your digital portfolio include: PDF, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Open Office Presenter or online.
- There is no preferred file size for your digital portfolio but images should be scales for web use- under 0.5MB each.
- Ensure your work has a good screen resolution and present it in the order you would like it to be seen in.
Once we receive your portfolio, we will provide feedback at the earliest possible opportunity. Please note that we may recommend that you study an alternative course with us – for example, foundation year entry, based on the assessment of your portfolio submission.