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Interior Design application portfolio advice

We look at portfolios as part of our selection process as some of our postgraduate courses need specialist skills. It is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your creativity, innovation and design skills and what inspires you in the field of interior design.

A good portfolio should indicate something of your personality, it should be clearly structured, easy to read and well presented. It should consist of quality work rather than quantity so be selective about what you show.

What are we looking for?

  • Experience and knowledge in creative and technical areas relating to interior design.
  • Evidence of creative problem solving and an analytical approach to design development.
  • Confirmation that you are accomplished, capable and resourceful.
  • A motivated and independent approach to learning.
  • Curiosity, energy, integrity and humour

What shoud a portfolio contain?

A good portfolio should contain high quality work - it’s not about quantity. We would recommend a maximum of 15 high quality pieces.

  • In your portfolio include pages showing your idea generation and innovative thinking. Where and how do you find inspiration? When have you been innovative in your design work?
  • Provide information relating to creative problem solving and analytical design development. For this aspect you could consider using good clear copies of annotated sketchbook pages.
  • Highlight evidence of the development of your ideas and how you research effectively for your area of interest.
  • Demonstrate your level of experience, your knowledge and your design communication abilities. For this aspect we would expect you to be able to provide both:
  1. Presentation graphics for interior, spatial and/or architectural designs. For example, 3D visuals, interior perspectives, full/part colour elevations, sections and/or sectional elevations.
  2. Working drawings (also referred to as technical and/or convention drawings) for interior, spatial and/or architectural designs. At the most basic this would include plans, sections, elevations, and detailing. You might also wish to include general arrangement planning, lighting plans or drawings that demonstrate your own specialist areas of knowledge e.g. sustainability, universal design or designs for specific environments. This could be retail, leisure, healthcare etc.

What about personal work?

Your portfolio should include a section demonstrating your personal artistic and designedly interests and talents. This could include any creative pursuits that you take part in independently, outside of work or study. For example photography, crafts, sketching and drawing for pleasure, art and design commentary such as blogging or vlogging. Any creative pursuits you undertake for personal pleasure and development will be relevant.

Size and format

Option one - online submission

  • Please submit your digital portfolio as a multi-page single PDF file
  • Files need to be compressed or zipped and not exceed 1GB in size and submitted via www.mailbigfile.com/dmuac
  • For moving images such as animation or video please use .mp4, .MOV or .AVI format
  • All work needs to be saved in one folder and labelled with your name, student reference number and the name of the course you have applied for

Option two - personal website

  • You can also send us a link to a website that displays your work
  • The website must be public (no sign up, passwords or logins), written in English, and have clear navigation
  • Your website must render correctly in Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari