Portfolio advice

At most UK universities you will be asked to produce a portfolio to discuss at your interview. What we look for in a portfolio for any of our Arts programmes are examples of your work. This can include work you are currently producing for any of your courses of study, or materials that you are developing outside of your studies. We look for a broad range of skills, ideas and thinking processes. Our key aim is to look at your portfolio to see your potential as a student at the University of Derby.

We would like to see your sketchbooks, notebooks and work in progress. Much of the content will depend on your interests and we will review the work and listen to your ideas in light of what you present. Think of your portfolio as an indication of you and a snapshot of your creativity.

We want to see what motivates you and what inspires you. Most of all make sure you are proud of what you are showing us and use it to talk through the interview and ask us questions about your chosen field. Your aim with your portfolio is to demonstrate a high level of engagement with art and design subjects.

Some examples of what could be in your portfolio are: drawing, painting, images of sculptures, mixed media, installations, fashion design, costume, fashion accessories, surface and textiles design, examples of printmaking, photography, illustration techniques, a storyboard, scriptwriting, animation, logo design, packaging design, or publicity and branding material that you have created. You may want to show us animations, films, digital design and CAD examples, furniture design, theatre design, jewellery and product design.

Your portfolio can be shown either digitally in Powerpoint, an online blog, Tumblr or Flickr or another website of your choice, or as a folder of work, or a journal, whatever is the most appropriate way for you to show us your work, your visual creativity and expression.

Our top tips are:

• Put your most recent work first
• If showing a sketchbook, be able to talk through the processes you have been exploring
• Include your best work
• Quality over quantity
• Photograph any difficult to transport, heavy or 3D work

We would also like to see an example of your written work, which may also be a work in progress. We look forward to seeing you and your work when you come for interview.