Architecture For Design-PORTFOLIO GUIDE

ARCHITECTUREBA (HONS)PORTFOLIO ADVICETeachingExcellenceFramework01

WHY DO WE ASK FORA PORTFOLIO?At DMU we have put everything in place to help you build the skillsand confidence you need to succeed in the world. We ask to look ata portfolio as part of our selection process to give us an idea of yourskills, help us understand if you will enjoy studying with us and to makesure you are choosing the right course for you.A good portfolio should contain quality work: it’s not about quantity.Be selective about what to include and avoid repetition, werecommended 15 to 25 pieces. Ensure that your work is clearly laidout and easy to look through.We receive and view a variety of portfolios, and whether you arecurrently involved in creative studies or not, we will look for thepotential in your work so please respond to the advice in this guideas best you can.WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? A passion for the subject and your interest in the built environment- this could include buildings, cities or man-made landscapes,evident in photographs or drawings for example Drawing skills - in the broadest sense Spatial awareness - evident in things you have made or in 2D work Your experimental approach to 3D work through drawing and making Innovative thinking and creative problem-solving skills Your potential to learn and have ambitions for your own future,along with showing your creativity and imagination02

WHAT SHOULD APORTFOLIO CONTAIN?EVIDENCE OF DRAWING / 2D SKILLSAND INTERESTS Your portfolio needs to demonstrate a goodlevel of 3D drawing, evident in observationalwork (people, objects etc) and/or concept(ideas and developments) design sketchesand sketch work Include evidence of the full range of skillsyou have e.g. paint, pencil, markers ink,photography, collage Include examples of CAD, Google SketchUp,Photoshop, as well as photography, orvideo/animation, if you have experience withthis softwareEVIDENCE OF SUBJECT INTEREST Drawn evidence – if you do not have this,you might include photographs of buildingsclose to home with short annotations toexplain why you took the photograph – whyyou chose that building, why you chose thatview etc We are interested to see how you utiliseimagery and a concept to develop ideasthrough experimentation: include examplesof the design process This could be any art piece or designproject, either as part of your course or anindependent project Do you visit exhibitions about art, design orarchitecture, or have you visited interestingplaces and buildings on a trip to anothertown, city of overseas? Can you includeevidence of these visits or activities? Do you have an interest in a particulararchitect, building, artist, designer, film-makeror similar? Can you include evidence of this?EVIDENCE OF MAKING / 3D SKILLSAND INTERESTS Evidence that you enjoy exploration of spacethrough models. We want to see 2D to 3Dexperimentation with materials Your models don’t have to be highly complexor finished models of buildings. We arelooking for evidence of manipulatingmaterials this could be sculpture, jewellery orfashion for example Photographs of things you have made orother 3D work is helpful to seeDesign by Anson Hau,Architecture BA (Hons), graduate0304

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH ANDDIGITISE YOUR WORK 05Take the highest quality images you can ofyour work, most smart phone cameras willhave a high enough resolutionGood lighting is really important, try tophotograph your work in front of a windowto provide bright natural lighting withoutshadows or distorted colours. The flash onyour phone may be too bright! Make sure any photographs of your workare taken at the best angle to showcase allaspects of it – decide if landscape or portraitis best for the image so there is no wastedspace in your photograph It’s best to place your work against a plainbackground when photographing it sothat it’s easy to see and there is nothingdistracting from the work When scanning your work make sure youchoose a high-quality resolution andlarge file size to ensure it is not compressedor distorted Make sure it’s clear what your work is andsome of the techniques used to create it. Youwon’t be able to talk to us in person aboutyour work so you may want to include a short10-20 word description of each piece Rather than directing us to your website orInstagram account, please include the piecesthat you would like us to see within yourdigital portfolioSIZE AND FORMAT Please submit your digital portfolio as amulti-page single PDF file Files need to be compressed or zipped andnot exceed 1GB in size and submitted viawww.mailbigfile.com/dmuac For moving images such as animation orvideo please use .mp4, .MOV or .AVI format All work needs to be saved in one folder andlabelled with your name, student referencenumber and the name of the course you haveapplied for06

Front cover: Sam Dorrity, Architecture BA (Hons), graduateCONTACTIf you require further information about your portfolio submission, contact ourAdmissions Team who will be happy to support.T: 44 (0)116 207 8443E:W:07970 655 800admissions@dmu.ac.ukdmu.ac.uk/architectureDe Montfort UniversityThe GatewayLeicesterLE1 9BHUKArt and dmu.ac.uk/socialmediaThis information is for those applying to join this course in September 2021. The content of this document is correct at the timeit was published. De Montfort University reserves the right to change this information without prior notice or justification.07

If you require further information about your portfolio submission, contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to support. T: 44 (0)116 207 8443 07970 655 800 E: admissions@dmu.ac.uk W: dmu.ac.uk/architecture De Montfort University The Gateway Leicester LE1 9BH UK Front cover: Sam Dorrity, Architecture BA (Hons),