Some helpful advice

Portfolios

A portfolio is a sample of your work that we can look at online, which may include photos of your projects and not just work created digitally.

We generally recommend providing around 15–20 images of your work, or a showreel if you're applying for one of our film or production courses. 

Your portfolio should be published on a single platform such as Tumblr, Blogspot, Flickr, Vimeo, Wixsite, YouTube, Soundcloud or your own website. The platform you choose may depend on the type of work you want to show.

You may also share your work directly through a link, such as a Google Drive link, but please make sure your work can be accessed by our academics and the right permissions have been granted. It should be accessible from a web browser without the need to enter a password.

We encourage you to show your research, development and examples of work in progress, so we can assess your thought processes and craft in the absence of a finished article. These will provide a valuable insight into your abilities and potential to succeed at Ravensbourne. Therefore, please don't hesitate to submit your portfolio even if it's not quite perfect at this stage.

What are we looking for?

  • Focus. Know the course you're applying for and aim the contents of your portfolio accordingly. We want to see you have a keen interest and ability for the subject. If you find out more about your specific course to tailor your portfolio, go to the course page.
  • Experimentation. Don't keep everything the same; we want to see whether you can work in a variety of media, using different methods
  • Commitment. Show us that you can come up with a good idea and develop it into a final concept
  • Passion. If you're excited and enthusiastic about your work, there's a better chance that we will be too
  • Ambition. To make it in digital industry, you have to be ambitious. So go beyond the brief and produce your own work
  • Industry awareness. We want to know you're going to exhibitions and events and who's inspiring you within your industry.

How should I share my portfolio?

Our tutors love looking through your work, but they won't have much time, so edit your portfolio and only upload your best, most relevant pieces.

All portfolios must be accessible digitally. you can show us you pieces using Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, a blog or link to your website. Once you've applied, we'll send you a link to a location to share your portfolio, or you can upload it to your applicant portal.

Design and Media diploma

  • 1 sketchbook
  • 10 sheets no larger than A1
  • Larger pieces and 3D work will need to be photographed
  • If relevant, a maximum of two short films (please upload moving image to YouTube or Vimeo).

Fashion and textiles diploma

  • 1 sketchbook
  • 10 sheets no larger than A1, including samples of garments (photographed).

Media production

  • 1 sketchbook
  • 10 sheets no larger than A1, including photographs and storyboards.
  • Maximum of two short films (please upload the moving image to YouTube or Vimeo).

Top tips:

  • Keep all your work in the same format - all landscape or all portrait - as this makes it easier for us to view it
  • Make sure you clearly label all your work, because we will sometimes look at it before we interview you
  • Be prepared to discuss your ideas and what you hope to achieve by studying on the course.

What work should I include in my showreel?

  • Research the course you're applying for, identify the main area of work and base a larger portion of your showreel around that
  • Front-load your showreel with your best work.

How long should my showreel be?

  • You'll only have a short time to show off your work, so keep your showreel short and punchy - around two minutes long

Top portfolio tips:

  • Put your showreel on an internet channel, which will make it easier to view
  • Explain what your role was in each clip
  • Only include your best work
  • Correctly label all clips and the DVD, memory stick or hard drive
  • Make sure all work is both Mac and PC-compatible.

Portfolio workshops

We run a number of UCAS workshops to help prepare students for university admission, including mock interview workshops, personal statement workshops and portfolio or showreel surgeries.

If you'd like to sign up to any of these sessions, please email: [email protected]

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