Applying for BA Graphic Design - Critique my portfolio

I have seen work no where near this good from people that have completed a graphic design degree. I have only had a quick flick through as I'm at work but it looks great! print it on good quality paper and present it well. Good Luck!
 
Thank you that's very kind! I'm at ravensbourne so good quality printing is assured, just not sure whether to use plastic wallets.
On the plus side I'm messy as hell so it would keep everything neat, but on the downside I'm worried the glare could be horrible, depending on the lighting at interviews.
 
Nice portfolio, you should have no issues getting onto one of these courses.

Quick note re: Kingston, I applied there, had no response one way or the other until I managed to get in contact with them. Was told I'd been declined because my parents didn't earn enough and I'd struggle financially. Assholes.
 
That's terrible! Heard similar regarding camberwell and other universities. I'm fairly sure financial information is protected now though so they can't discriminate anymore fortunately.
Quality of work from their graduates is nothing short of excellent though so I'm still keen to give it a shot. Powerpoint I sent to them was pretty shoddy though so doubtful as to whether I'll even make it to interview - had a couple of weaker peices that aren't on my flickr.
 
Either way it shouldn't have been Kingston University's decision whether I could afford it financially. Funnily enough they told me my portfolio was actually good enough. Their loss ;) Their work is great I agree. Good luck.
 
Haha well that's not such a bad story to have then - where did you end up? Your website is seriously nice! lovely touch being able to see into your office
 
I actually ended it up at Bath Uni. I wanted to play hockey too!

I'm pretty sure I would have turned Kingston down anyway, so I can't really complain. I turned down Falmouth, Plymouth and another in London that I can't remember. Each of those courses were way to conceptual for me. No impetus on making it into the industry after uni, all about ideas and research, which whilst is good for development, is useless when trying to find a job.

I opted for a new course that Bath were running, where half of the course focused on developing us for the industry after. So modules on freelancing, printing, business,2 or 3 periods of work placements, mentoring from outside designs/agencies, weekly guest speakers, not to mention my own work space and laptop! - all the things you don't generally do or get. It's not for some, but I enjoyed it and I've got to say I don't think I'd be as far a long as I am. I graduated in 2010 and been freelancing since.

That is my studio yea. Only problem is, I built it in Flash because I don't know HTML (yet). So it's useless in Google!
 
ARRIVALS said:
Nice portfolio, you should have no issues getting onto one of these courses.

Quick note re: Kingston, I applied there, had no response one way or the other until I managed to get in contact with them. Was told I'd been declined because my parents didn't earn enough and I'd struggle financially. Assholes.
Click to expand...

I can't believe that anyone should make that judgement! I am truly shocked. Bring back maintenance grants, cut down on the number of 'graduates' and get apprenticeships going again!

But the Bath course sounds really great. I wish that my local uni/college would prepare their students for the world of work - then I might be able to go and do some teaching there. I have in the past spent a lot of time helping students get their work suitable for printing...telling them about bleed and crops etc. Many have said that they learnt more in one hour with me than the rest of their course!
 
Typical London university snobbery unfortunately. Obviously not all are like that, but I certainly know of a few. Financially I would have been fine though. Generally if you get accepted into a university in London, the amount of maintenance / loan is doubled, so I would have been fine, but just have a bigger sum to pay back. Either way things turned out for the better!

My uncle works in a printer in Cornwall at the time and told me that the amount of student work they got in that they had to re-prepare or send back to be re-done because it wasn't printable was laughable. That included students from Falmouth, one of the top design related unis in the country. So I specifically looked for a course that taught some of those things. Good choice made!
 
ARRIVALS said:
I actually ended it up at Bath Uni. I wanted to play hockey too!

I'm pretty sure I would have turned Kingston down anyway, so I can't really complain. I turned down Falmouth, Plymouth and another in London that I can't remember. Each of those courses were way to conceptual for me. No impetus on making it into the industry after uni, all about ideas and research, which whilst is good for development, is useless when trying to find a job.

I opted for a new course that Bath were running, where half of the course focused on developing us for the industry after. So modules on freelancing, printing, business,2 or 3 periods of work placements, mentoring from outside designs/agencies, weekly guest speakers, not to mention my own work space and laptop! - all the things you don't generally do or get. It's not for some, but I enjoyed it and I've got to say I don't think I'd be as far a long as I am. I graduated in 2010 and been freelancing since.

That is my studio yea. Only problem is, I built it in Flash because I don't know HTML (yet). So it's useless in Google!
Click to expand...

Cool to know! Ravensbourne where I'm doing my foundation is very work orientated, but the degree looks too narrow for me - though I would get a £400 bursary towards a laptop and we've already been given the entire Adobe Master Collection CS5.5 for free.
 
Yea you'll find that happens alot with colleges that are linked to universities. They'll offer students on the college course laptops and extra bursaries and things to get them onto their degree course. I wouldn't mind CS5, though CS6 is looking pretty handy!
 
I have been living in Kingston for nearly a year now and unfortunately it does seem to have a high level of people up their own bottoms, with idiotic opinions that they are all too willing to share. But other than that its very nice lol!
 
Yeh lol! it is nice really and we live in a little place called Ham which is kind of a little village with lots of old ladies and a great little parade of shops. But around here gets a bit silly sometimes. I went to a parents meet up when I first moved here. It was at the head of PTAs House which was massive and worth millions, me and my husband had actually been walking past it for weeks on the way to the river say 'imagine living there' haha. Ended up drinking to much and cycling home very wobbly. I have not been back since it was a bit weird and intense too much 'proffessional mum' syndrome, the PTA scares me! I work in Esher which makes Kingston and Richmond seem normal!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top