Portfolios and Interviews
Acceptable Formats for your Portfolio
Portfolios can take many acceptable forms. They can be:
- Hardcopy (e.g. zipper cases with work inserted into plastic sleeves or mounted on matte board, or work presented in customized containers);
- Audio-Visual (e.g. photographs, video, animation)
- Digital (e.g. on CD, DVD, USB Drive, or Website URL)
Quantity and Content of Work
Between 10-15 examples* of varied work is sufficient for your application, including such items as drawings, illustrations, posters, typography, computer graphics, animation, video, paintings, printmaking, photography, drafting, crafts, and three-dimensional pieces. A journal, sketchbook or collections of ideas is essential to demonstrate your thinking processes.
*A poster or a drawing would be considered one piece; a project that is made up of more than one part, e.g. stationery or a booklet would also represent one piece.
As you select work for presentation, keep in mind that we are more interested in seeing what you consider to be your best work, demonstrating your skills and abilities. A wide range of varied items is better than several of the same kind of work. As a designer you will be expected to work on a wide repertoire of tasks, so you need to show versatility. Also, if you can, include one project that shows how you began (e.g. research, notes, early sketches), through to development stages (revisions and tests), and then the final result. Design typically involves taking projects through several stages before completion.
Originals or Reproductions?
You may submit originals photographically or digitally reproduced. Please do not submit work larger than 18 x 24 inches, make sure all original 2D work is flat (not rolled up or folded), and drawings are protected to prevent smudging.
Digital Work
Digital work submitted on CD, DVD, USB Drive or by Website URL, organized as one multimedia presentation. Files must open easily and seamlessly. Ensure your digital submission will display accurately on either a Mac or PC platform. Faculty cannot be responsible for digital files that do not open properly. If you have any questions about setting up your files, please check with our program assistant well ahead of the portfolio deadline.
Audio-Visual Work
The time allocated for each portfolio is limited, so please limit DVDs and other single examples of audio-visual work for approximately three minutes.
Identification and Supporting Information
Make sure that your work is logically organized, properly labeled with your name and address, and that there is a short legible caption of what each piece is to help us understand your projects: titles, explanations of what you were trying to achieve, dates, sizes, medium, whether school work or done in your own time.
Interviews
Successful applicants will receive an invitation to an Interview session. Alternative arrangements are possible for students who live outside the Greater Vancouver Region and who cannot attend in person. It is, however, in the best interest of applicants to make every effort to attend in person.
