Art and Design Portfolios

Once you have applied for one of our undergraduate art and design* courses and have been shortlisted, you will be asked to provide a digital portfolio. Your portfolio is an opportunity to show us who you are, your creative ability and your potential. Following this you will then be invited for a portfolio review meeting. 

Hints and Tips in what we expect of your Portfolio 

• Your portfolio should be well organsied and presented. The portfolio should aim to demonstrate your strongest work, indicating your creative and technical abilities rather than quantity of work. 

• Include photographs of a range of artwork showing the development of skills and/or experimentation with different media. 
• For many courses, drawing is a key element to your portfolio. Include examples of different types of drawing, such as, life drawing, still life, illustrations. 
• Include examples of different projects you have undertaken and be prepared to talk through the project and the development of your work. 
• Include at least one project that shows how you have developed an idea from start to finish - don't forget to explain the project and how you developed your ideas. 
• Use good quality, well- lit photographs of your work and try and find a plain background. 
• You can put your portfolio together as a Powerpoint file or a pdf document with links to any moving image work or other digital work you have saved on another site like Youtube or Vimeo. 

All portfolios must be submitted to FABSSapplicant@wlv.ac.uk, no later than 3 working days before the review date. You can send it via suggested file sharing platforms such as WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube etc. 

What should you expect from a portfolio review? 

• The review isn’t a process to be anxious about and is an opportunity for you showcase your skills and gain some insight and feedback on your work from us. 
• You’ll be sent a link to your review meeting on Microsoft Teams via email in advance. In this email, there should be a 'Join meeting' link. Just before your review time, press 'Join meeting'. 
• The review meeting will last around 20-30 minutes and will be with a member of academic teaching staff from the relevant department. 
• Good luck! 

If you require further advice, contact the Conversion Team via FABSSapplicant@wlv.ac.uk, or the University's Gateway department. 

*Art and Design courses include: Fashion, Fine Art, Furniture Design, Glass and Ceramics, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Photography, Product Design, Textiles and Surface Pattern and Art & Design (including all Sandwich Year and Foundation Year routes).