Portfolio guidance

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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 invitation 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 Graphic Design
BA Illustration
BA Photography
MA Visual Communication

Please note: If you are applying for a postgraduate course and you have an undergraduate degree from Birmingham City University in a closely related discipline, you may be exempt from providing a portfolio.

For detailed guidance, select your course from the dropdown below.

Please select the course you are applying for

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

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

Please open your portfolio with a short statement introducing yourself, your inspirations, your aspirations, what we can expect to see in your portfolio and if there are certain parts that you would like us to focus on and why. When preparing for your statement consider the following questions:

Who are three of your favourite graphic designers?
What is the last film you saw at the cinema?
Where do you draw inspiration from?
What are your career aspirations?
Why have you chosen to apply to BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Birmingham City University?

We would like to see a good range of ideas
You are free to include as much work as you would like to in your portfolio.
Try to include any work that you think is relevant to graphic design. This can include examples of advertising, packaging design, design for print, illustration, communication graphics, branding, multimedia, design for film and television, multimedia and interactive media (web, app and game design). We welcome applications from applicants from a variety of disciplines so it important to note that you are not limited to these, nor are you expected to provide everything listed.
It is essential to include photographs or scanned pages from your sketchbooks that support the work presented in your portfolio. This is because they show us the research behind the work, your thought process and how your ideas develop.
You should include at least one project from start to finish, as this allows us to see your thought processes and design-processes in action.
If you would like to include any 3D pieces please include a single photograph of each piece in your portfolio. Ensure any photographs of 3D work show a sense of scale, texture, material, colour and context.
We are happy to watch any video/ animated work, but please consider including an edited version, or include specific timecodes that you would like us to watch for work that is particularly lengthy.
If you are including work that has been created as part of a collaborative project please explicitly state what your role in the project was the specific elements you produced.
Work outside of prescribed school/college work is always welcome. For example, if you’ve been making relevant work through your job, or a specialised class, include this.
In terms of the structure of your portfolio, we would prefer that you present your work in a chronological order with your most recent first.
Annotations and labelling is a must. Please add project titles so we can see where they start and end, label items and annotate pieces that need context.

Skills we would like to see

Standard of presentation
Organisation
Evidence of creative thinking
Use of a visible design process for idea development.
Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and technologies.
Problem-solving
Evidence that you’re passionate about the subject.

Format

Submit your work as one PDF file.
Your digital portfolio should be no more than 10MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
Ensure your work has a good screen resolution.
Add any links to video, animations, and moving image work in your PDF. 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.

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 (Hons) Illustration

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

Please open your portfolio with a short statement introducing yourself, your inspirations, your aspirations, what we can expect to see in your portfolio and if there are certain parts that you would like us to focus on and why. When preparing for your statement consider the following questions:

Why do you want to study BA (Hons) Illustration at Birmingham City University? What interests you about the course?
What do you think your strongest project is?
What and/or who are you inspired by?
What are your aspirations?

We would like to see a variety of work using a variety of techniques. This does not have to be directly related to illustration.
It is advisable to include no less than 10 pieces of work and no more than 20.
Include any work you think would be relevant to the course. Examples of the type of work you can include are: drawing, print-making, 3D modelling, graphics based work and typography, moving image work, animations and film. You will need to scan or photograph any physical work. It important to note that you are not limited to these, nor are you expected to provide everything listed.
It is essential to add photographs or scanned pages from your sketchbook/s. This is because they show us the research behind the work, your thought process and how your ideas develop.
We would like to see at least one project from start to finish. It would be nice to see a mixture of short projects and long projects if you have them.
If you would like to include any 3D pieces please include photographs of them that show a sense of scale, texture, material, colour and context.
Remember, the order you present it in is the order we will view it in so structure your work in a clear and organised way. For example, you may find it useful to cluster your portfolio into projects, or put it in a chronological order, or start and finish with your best pieces.
Annotations and labelling is a must. Please add project titles so we can see where they start and end, label items and annotate pieces that need context.

Skills we would like to see

Drawing
Composition
How you use colour
Use of a visible design process for idea development
Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and technologies.

Format

Submit your work as one PDF file.
Your digital portfolio should be no more than 10MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
Ensure your work has a good screen resolution.
Add any links to video, animations, and moving image work in your PDF, PowerPoint or Keynote file. 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.

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 (Hons) Photography

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

Work suitable for inclusion includes: photographs (portraiture, landscape, still-life, fashion or documentary etc.), any lens-based images (for example stills from videos), experimental imagery, photographic installations.
It is essential to include scanned versions or photographs of pages from your sketchbooks that support the work presented in your portfolio. This is because they show us the research behind the work, your thought process and how your ideas develop.
You may also include audio compositions and moving image work. Please include a link to where the file is hosted online within your PDF.
3D work can be represented by including a photograph of the work showing a sense of scale.
We’re looking for quality rather than quantity so we request that your portfolio contains no more than 20 images of finished pieces. Try to show a variety of work and select the best work you have produced.
There is no set structure for how your portfolio should be presented. You just need to ensure it is ordered in a way that best expresses your ideas. Remember the order you present it in is the order it will be viewed in.
Work that you have created outside of school or college is always welcome.
To help your reviewer get a better understanding of you and your portfolio please include a small paragraph detailing the reasoning behind each of your pieces of work.

Skills we would like to see

Creativity
Your critical thinking process
Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and technologies
Use of a visible design process for idea development.

Format

Submit your digital portfolio as one PDF file.
Your digital portfolio should be no more than around 10MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
Ensure your work has a good screen resolution.
Add any links to video, animations, and moving image work in your PDF. 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.

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.

MA Visual Communication

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

Please open your portfolio with a short statement introducing yourself, your inspirations, your aspirations, what we can expect to see in your portfolio and if there are certain parts that you would like us to focus on and why. When preparing your statement, please answer the following questions:

Why have you chosen to apply for MA Visual Communication at Birmingham City University?
What can you bring to the course?
What do you want from the course?
What interests you about the course?

We would like to see a good range of ideas and concepts. You should include at least one project from start to finish – showing all iterations for concept, technical ability, and research processes.
It is useful to include any live projects, competitions or industry work, as this can help illuminate your potentials.
We would like to see a variety of work using a variety of techniques. This does not have to be directly related to all areas of Visual Communication, but should illuminate your interests in your specialist area to the selection panel.
The order you present your work in is the order we will view it in so structure your work in a clear and organised way. For example, you may find it useful to cluster your portfolio into projects, or put it in a chronological order, or start and finish with your best pieces.
If you are including work that has been created as part of a collaborative project please explicitly state what your role in the project was and the specific elements you produced.

Skills we would like to see

Evidence of creative thinking
Use of a visible design processes for idea development, related to contemporary or historical theories.
Willingness to experiment using a range of media, materials and technologies.
Problem-solving abilities, and rationale(s).
Evidence that you’re passionate about the subject.

Format

Submit your digital portfolio as one PDF file.
Your digital portfolio should be no more than around 10MB. Please compress your file if it exceeds the limit.
Add any links to video, animations, and moving image work in your PDF. 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.

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.