Liverpool School of Art and Design Portfolio Guidance

Architecture

Your digital portfolio is a selection of work undertaken in your studies as well as any self-motivated work carried out that we can view online.

We typically recommend including 15–20 images of your work that is relevant to the course you have applied for. Typically for Architecture this includes.

  • Drawings from observation, collages, designs
  • Developmental sketches that reveal a conceptual thought process
  • Images and 3D work that reveal an understanding of, composition and proportion
  • Creative digital images and or digital 3D work
  • Any work experience to date

Images should have a title and a short explanation (one sentence is sufficient). Images should be saved as a continuous pdf file.

Interior Architecture

Your digital portfolio is a selection of work undertaken in your studies as well as any self-motivated work carried out that we can view online.

We typically recommend including 15–20 images of your work that is relevant to the course you have applied for. Typically for Interior Architecture this includes.

  • Drawings from observation, collages, designs
  • Developmental sketches that reveal a conceptual thought process
  • Images and 3D work that reveal an understanding of, composition, proportion and colour
  • Creative digital images and or digital 3D work
  • Any work experience to date

Images should have a title and a short explanation (one sentence is sufficient). Images should be saved as a continuous pdf file.

Fashion Design and Communication

The portfolio should include a creative approach to the subject of fashion. We would like to see lots of experimentation and trials in your work – preferably through a variety of mediums.

We are also very interested in how your projects have been developed and your research topics. Any conceptual responses should be documented, we are looking for annotation throughout your portfolio, offering us insight into your subject through analysis or criticality. Using pages from sketchbooks is a good way to document your process.

We do not necessarily need to see fashion at this stage, lots of ideas and interest in the arts is preferable as a base layer to build on. We are not looking for perfection at this stage, but attention to how you present your work as a whole document is important.

If you are specifically interested in the Fashion Design pathway:

  • It is important for fashion designers to be confident with sketching, mark-making and it is really helpful to have developed some of these skills. Any examples and work in this area is very useful to your portfolio.
  • If you have studied pattern cutting and/or manufacture, please include images of 3D outcomes and trials. 3D plays a considerable part in your overall development as a fashion designer, if you are inexperienced, don’t worry, we will be teaching you all the skills necessary.

What you should include in your portfolio

A portfolio should be between 15 and 20 slides and a good indication of your work ethic, motivation and subject interest.

The portfolio should reflect your subject choice, for example, we would expect a Fashion portfolio to include: Photographs of three-dimensional work, (for example, pattern cutting, modelling on the stand, garments or sculptures), textile and/or technical sampling, and any final outcomes from project work. Also, do include any additional creative work that represents you and showcases your skills.

We are interested in your visual research, which would include ideas and development work. Often a good way of representing this is to show us scans of your sketchbook and/or notebooks.

Annotation should be clear and a maximum of 300 words in total throughout your portfolio.

Submitting your portfolio

You should have received an email from us to provide your portfolio via our attachment upload facility. The Fashion department will review your portfolio, and will make a decision as soon as possible.

Graphic Design and Illustration

You have two options for submitting your portfolio: a Digital Portfolio or a Website

Your Digital Portfolio or Website should contain an ordered, consistent and edited selection of your work that reflects you, your thinking, your skills and your ambition. It should showcase your approach, e.g. sketchbooks showing research and development / test pieces as well as your final, completed outcomes. We would like to see examples of your drawing skills and if possible this should include life drawing. Please also include self directed work and/or any work you may have completed as a hobby, freelance, volunteering, etc. For each piece of work please write a short sentence that explains what you did and why.

We will be looking for:

  • Research and development - evidence of how you approach your work from brief to outcome
  • Skills and competencies - evidence of a range of image making skills (particularly drawing) and visual literacy
  • Ambition and motivation - evidence of breadth, depth and problem solving in the approach to projects
  • Creativity and originality - evidence of your thinking and experimentation
  • Clarity and communication - evidence of your ability to select, present and explain your work

Option 1: Digital Portfolio

This should be uploaded as a single PDF file of no more than 20 pages. All text set at 9/10 point size. Adobe offer a useful guide on how to create a PDF from multiple files and files types.

Option 2: Website

Please make sure that the link to your site is not your admin login. We need the link to your published site, otherwise we won't have access rights. Please do not send sites that require Flash to upload the page. Suitable sites builders are: Cargo Collective, Muse, Wix, Wordpress, Squarespace.