Guidance for applying to study design

Transcription

1 Guidance for applying to study design 1

2 Contents Guidance for art, design and media arts applications 4 Guidelines for applications to undergraduate 5 courses in design BA (Honours) Fashion Design 7 MDes Fashion Design 7 BA (Honours) Graphic Design 8 MDes Graphic Design 8 BA (Honours) Interior Design 11 MDes Interior Design 11 BA (Honours) Jewellery and Metalwork 13 MDes Jewellery and Metalwork 13 BA (Honours) Product Design 15 MDes Product Design 15 BA (Honours) Product Design: Furniture 17 MDes Product Design: Furniture 17 2

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4 Guidance for art, design and media arts applications As part of Sheffield Hallam University, the Sheffield Institute of Arts offers a broad range of degrees across the creative disciplines. If you choose to study with us, you will join our creative learning community and be able to take advantage of all of our skills, expertise and resources. This gives you the opportunity to flourish and develop your creative and professional abilities. Our degree routes are predominately practice based. You gain hands-on experience through continuously working on creative projects. This practice is underpinned by teaching that develops and broadens your theoretical knowledge and courses that develop your technical skills. 1) Application process To apply for any full-time undergraduate university course, you will need to complete a UCAS application form. We receive thousands of applications each year and we are very specific about what we are looking for in terms of academic and intellectual ability. The evidence that you provide in your personal statement and references will influence whether you are invited to an interview, so please take the time to plan and complete your application form. For the interview, you should bring a portfolio or show reel containing examples of your work. We ask for this to understand your creative experience and potential ability. It should evidence your interests in your creative specialism to date. This may include past and current school or college work, other personal projects, work in progress and other work that you feel demonstrates your creative potential. Take time with your selection when putting the portfolio together. Do not include everything you have ever done, but a good, clear selection that represents your abilities. The interview provides you with an opportunity to discuss your portfolio and enables the admissions tutors to clarify aspects of your UCAS application. You may be asked questions about your personal interests to enable us to understand what motivates you to pursue your creative discipline. The interview will last about 30 minutes including time for you to ask any questions. Throughout the process, we will be looking for people who are genuinely interested in their subject with an enthusiasm and motivation to guide themselves through self-directed learning. Take time with your selection when putting the portfolio together. Do not include everything you have ever done, but a good, clear selection that represents your abilities. 4

5 2) What offer can we make you after an interview? We cannot tell you our decision on the day of the interview. After the interview our decision will be communicated via UCAS track, so please check your account regularly. You will receive one of the following decisions. a) Conditional offer for the course that you have applied for you must fulfil certain criteria (usually based on the qualifications you are currently taking) before you can be accepted on the course. If the requirements are met, the offer becomes unconditional. b) Unconditional offer for the course that you have applied for usually made when you have already completed your qualifications and met the academic requirements we are asking for. c) Unsuccessful unfortunately we are not able to offer you a place on the course. We do not feel that you have the necessary skills or experience to be successful on one of our courses. However, this does not prevent you from applying in the future, should you undertake further study to develop your skills and experience. 3) Degree routes Art, Design and Media Arts all offer Bachelor of Arts degrees (BA Honours) and integrated masters qualifications (MDes/MArt). 3a) Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours Our BA degrees run for three years and provide a firm basis for a professional creative career. Throughout the course there is a continuous programme of creative project work. Alongside this, we develop your creative skills, your understanding of the theory that underpins your work, professional development and the opportunity to specialise within your field. 3b) Integrated Masters (MDes) Our MDes courses run for four years and combine aspects of the BA courses and our successful masters programmes. We have developed the MDes options with creative professionalism in mind. Feedback shows employers and organisations are looking for designers and artists with postgraduate level knowledge and some professional experience. Because of this, the additional year of the integrated masters focuses on professional enhancement. You can complete a work placement, study abroad on an exchange programme or undertake a mentored project where you are given advice and support from an external company. If you are interested in an integrated masters course, you will need to include it on your UCAS application form as part of the usual application process. The entry requirements for the MDes courses are slightly higher than for the equivalent BA qualification, though MDes applicants would also be considered for the relevant BA. Guidelines for applications to undergraduate courses in design In addition to the advice provided, each specialism will have some specific requirements that you should follow to prepare for your selection day. Throughout the process, we will be looking for people with enthusiasm and motivation who are genuinely interested in their subject. 5

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7 BA (Honours) Fashion Design (W232) MDes Fashion Design (W230) What should be my portfolio? Design (four different projects) such as research, sketchbooks, ideas generation and presentation boards/finished artwork. Visual communication (four different examples) such as life drawing, observational studies, photography/ styling, computer generated imagery or fashion illustration. Written work (two different examples) such as an essay, report or printed PowerPoint presentation. 3D work (one example) such as a garment, accessory, fashion-related sculpture or technical ability. Supporting evidence evidence of exhibitions, galleries and/or fashion-related study visits you have undertaken in the last 12 months. How should I organise my portfolio? Please ensure that your portfolio is organised, concise, varied and has your name clearly visible. Select only your best pieces of work that demonstrate your abilities. Portfolio commentary You should include supporting documentation and, where applicable, attach the relevant project brief. What are we looking for and how do we evaluate these abilities demonstrated in your portfolio/ interview? Please wear something you have made when attending your interview. Your portfolio should demonstrate your abilities in design (four different projects) visual communication (four different examples) written work (two examples) 3D work (one example) supporting evidence We also look for the following qualities which are required for a career in fashion. passionate and enthusiastic about garments and fabric creative, lateral thinker able to generate original ideas practical 3 dimensionally aware hard working determined open minded individual competitive adaptable/versatile computer literate reliable confident and articulate able to communicate at all levels a team member able to work on your own initiative able to network resourceful What happens on the selection day? We usually talk to all interviewees about the course and give you an opportunity to see our studios and workshops. You and a small number of other applicants will be seen by one of the tutors. The tutor will normally have reviewed your portfolio beforehand. We won t try to catch you out or ask embarrassing questions. We want you to feel at ease and be able to ask any questions you may have. You will not be asked to describe everything in your portfolio, but you should be able to talk in detail about one piece of work (often a project of our choice) and to answer questions about it. We may ask you why you have chosen this course to talk about designs and/or designers you particularly admire and why you have chosen those examples. This is so we can see that you re aware of design and have your own opinions about it. There will be an opportunity for you to ask us questions. You may have questions about the course or something you need to know about living in Sheffield. It s fine if you wish to make a few notes as a reminder. 7

8 BA (Honours) Graphic Design (W210) MDes Graphic Design (W214) What should be in my portfolio? Your portfolio should provide a clear view of your creative potential through work you have done. We do not look for highly finished professional work, but we want to see imagination, enthusiasm and a confident visual style. The portfolio should include some or all of the following. A range of drawing skills. Different types of drawing and mark making can all be useful. Graphic design (typography, illustration, printmaking, layout), art, craft or photography work and any relevant work done in your own time. Screen-based/digital work can be brought on a clearly labelled CD or DVD. 3D work and making skills in wood, metal, plastic, card, fabric etc or good quality photographs of the work if it s too big to bring with you. Anything you have made, drawn or produced that enables you to express your creative potential. It s fine to do extra work if you feel that your portfolio is missing something. If school or college work is likely to be sent away for assessment or put on display, keep copies so that you can still include good work in your portfolio. How should I organise my portfolio? We will only have a short time to look at your portfolio. The important thing is to assemble a lively collection that shows both the breadth and depth of your work. Organise your portfolio as a set of projects. Put them in an order that seems to make sense it doesn t have to be in the order in which the work was done. You don t have to include every bit of work you did. Be selective, but not too selective. Show your process sketchbooks and evidence of research and development is important. Portfolio commentary Include your name on your portfolio, clearly but sensitively. Add a short explanatory title (one or two sentences) at the start of each piece of work saying what it is, what it s about and when it was done. This will help to ensure that your portfolio is understood when you are not there to explain it. What are we looking for and how do we evaluate the abilities demonstrated in your portfolio/interview? When meeting with prospective students we are looking for creative potential. We want to see that you have a range of abilities which might include drawing, making and computer skills. We want to see that you have visual sensitivity and some knowledge and awareness of design in the real world. It is also helpful if we can tell that you work hard, that you can develop design ideas and work under your own steam, which is why we like to see the development process behind your design work. The five key areas we are potentially looking for in your portfolio are drawing skills and sketchbooks conceptual thinking computer skills process/making skills development work We do not look for highly finished professional work, but we want to see imagination, enthusiasm and a confident visual style. 8

9 What happens on the selection day? We usually talk to all applicants about the course and give you an opportunity to see our studio and workshops. You and a small number of other applicants will be seen by one of the tutors. We won t try to catch you out or ask embarrassing questions. We want you to feel at ease and be able to ask any questions you may have. You will not be asked to describe everything in your portfolio, but you should be able to talk in detail about one piece of work (often a project of our choice) and to answer questions about it. We may ask you why you have chosen this course to talk about designs and/or designers you particularly admire and why you have chosen those examples. This enables us to see that you are aware of design and have your own opinions about it. There will be an opportunity for you to ask us questions. You may have questions about the course or something you need to know about living in Sheffield. It s fine if you wish to make a few notes as a reminder. Dress reasonably smartly, but there is absolutely no need to wear a suit. Smart but casual clothing will allow you to feel confident and at ease. 9

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11 BA (Honours) Interior Design (W250) MDes Interior Design (W251) What should be in my portfolio? Confident visual style Your portfolio must provide a clear view of your creative potential and of work that you have done. We do not look for highly finished professional work as much as imagination, enthusiasm and a confident visual style. You may not have done any interior design projects, but the work you show us should demonstrate a strong interest and ability in both two and three dimensional areas. Drawing skills and 3D work We are very interested in seeing your drawing skills. Life drawings give a good idea of your potential. We also like to see 3D work. If you have 3D work that is too big to bring along, please make sure you include some good quality photographs. Even if your college or school has limited workshop facilities, you can still produce worthwhile 3D work. Some of the most interesting 3D projects use very basic studio materials such as card or fabric. Creativity Don t confine your portfolio just to design work. We also like to see examples of other creative work or personal interests which might be relevant. It s appropriate to include work from art or photography and maybe from other subjects. We encourage you to include anything that you have made, drawn or produced that enables you to express your creative potential. How should I organise my portfolio? Breadth and depth When compiling your portfolio, remember that we will only have a short time to look at it. The important thing is to put together a lively collection that shows both the breadth and depth of your work and how your abilities have developed. Prepare yourself, make notes It s much easier if you prepare. Don t rehearse a speech it s best to be yourself. Think about what you want to say. If you wish to make a few notes to remind you about points you want to make or a list of questions that you want to ask, that s fine. Don t forget to include your name on your portfolio, clearly but sensitively. Portfolio commentary It s a good idea to ensure that each piece of work has a short explanatory title. One or two sentences should be sufficient. Your portfolio may be seen by someone when you are not there to explain it and this will help to make sure that it is not misunderstood. What are we looking for and how do we evaluate the abilities demonstrated in your portfolio/interview? How you present yourself is as important as your portfolio. We will not want a detailed account of each piece of work, but you should be able to describe any of your projects in a few sentences. What happens on the selection day? You will normally be interviewed by one of the design tutors. We usually review your portfolio before talking to you so that the interview is informed by this knowledge. We usually begin by asking you why you want to come on the course, before moving on to discuss your work. You will not be asked to give a detailed description of all the projects, but you should be ready to talk in detail about one piece of work (sometimes this may be a project of our choice), to answer questions and clarify anything that may not be obvious from the work presented. You may be asked to talk about designs, designers, architects, and/or spaces or buildings that you particularly like or admire and you should be prepared to discuss why you have chosen those examples. Alternatively, you might also wish to talk about examples of bad design, saying why you believe they are poor. It s not just enough to be able to say what you like. You must be able to demonstrate that you have thought about why you like or dislike something, and what in your opinion makes a particular space or building successful. You will have an opportunity to ask us questions. You may have a special interest that you wish to pursue during the course, you may have concerns about some aspects of the course or just a practical question about living in Sheffield. Please feel free to mention anything you need or want to know. 11

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13 BA (Honours) Jewellery and Metalwork (W721) MDes Jewellery and Metalwork (W724) What should be in my portfolio? Objects you have made. These might be items you have produced as part of your current course or something you have produced independently. These objects should demonstrate some originality and material sensitivity. Interesting experiments or test pieces you have found useful. Drawings and sketches that demonstrate an ability to communicate 3D form and an ability to generate ideas. Research material that inspires you to make objects. We don t expect you to bring beautifully finished precious metal items, but it s important to show the level of your enthusiasm. How should I organise my portfolio? Try to organise your work so that we can see a development of skills. Some evidence of ability with written work will be useful. What are we looking for and how do we evaluate the abilities demonstrated in your portfolio/interview? We usually begin by asking you why you want to come on the course, before moving on to discuss your work. You will not be asked to give a detailed description of all the projects but you should be ready to talk in detail about a selection of work (sometimes this may be a project of our choice), to answer questions and clarify anything that may not be obvious from the work presented. Think about what went well in each of your projects and what you would do differently. How might the ideas be taken further? We are looking for applicants who are enthusiastic and excited about making. In particular, we are looking for evidence of material sensitivity examples of work where you have understood and responded to material properties. Does the work show that choices and decisions have been made? We are also looking for drawing ability. All kinds of drawing are useful but there should be evidence of three dimensional understanding. You may be asked to talk about designs and/or designer makers that you admire and you should be prepared to discuss why you have chosen those examples. We may also ask what exhibitions, galleries or museums you have visited. This is a chance for you to demonstrate your level of interest in the field. You will have an opportunity to ask us questions. You may have a special interest that you wish to pursue during the course, you may have concerns about some aspects of the course, or just a practical question about studying in Sheffield. Please feel free to mention anything you need or want to know. What happens on the selection day? On arrival at the Sheaf building, you will be asked to leave your portfolio in the interview room. Usually you will be interviewed by two course tutors. You will have a guided tour of the facilities with one tutor while their colleague reviews your portfolio. Throughout the tour, you will be encouraged to ask questions about the course and what it is like to study in Sheffield. The tour is a nice way to overcome preinterview nerves. It is likely that you will be with a group of four to six other applicants and you ll have a chance to chat with current students in the metalwork and jewellery workshop while waiting for your turn to be interviewed. We look forward to meeting you and seeing your work. We are also looking for drawing ability. All kinds of drawing are useful but there should be evidence of three dimensional understanding. 13

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15 BA (Honours) Product Design (W240) MDes Product Design (W242) What should be in my portfolio? Your portfolio should provide a clear view of your creative potential through work you have done including any work you ve done outside of school or college. We do not look for highly finished professional work, but we want to see imagination, enthusiasm and a confident visual style. The portfolio should include some or all of the following. A range of drawing skills. Many different types of drawing can be relevant. 3D work and making things in materials such as wood, metal, plastic, card, fabric or good quality photographs of the work if it is not practical to take with you. Art, graphics or photography work. Anything you have made, drawn or produced that enables you to express your creative potential. It s fine to do extra work if you feel that your portfolio is missing something. If school or college work is likely to be sent away for assessment or put on display, keep copies so that you can still include good work in your portfolio. How should I organise my portfolio? We will only have a short time to look at your portfolio. The important thing is to assemble a lively collection that shows both the breadth and depth of your work. Organise your portfolio as a set of projects or activities. Put them in an order that seems to make sense it doesn t have to be in the order in which the work was done. You don t have to include every bit of work you ve done. Be selective, but not too selective. Include the development process, not just the finished work. Portfolio commentary Put your name on your portfolio, clearly but sensitively. Add a short explanatory title (one or two sentences) at the start of each piece of work saying what it is, what it s about and when it was done. This will help to ensure that your portfolio is understood when you are not there to explain it. What are we looking for and how do we evaluate the abilities demonstrated in your portfolio/interview? When interviewing prospective students, we are looking for creative potential and people who show a genuine interest in the subject. We want to see that you have a range of abilities which might include drawing, making and computer skills. We want to see that you have visual sensitivity and some knowledge and awareness of design in the real world. We don t expect you to be an inventor, but it s helpful if we can see that you can develop design ideas and that you are committed and can work under your own steam, which is why we like to see the development process behind your design work. What happens on the selection day? We usually talk to all interviewees about the course and then give you an opportunity to meet current students who will show you our studio and workshops. You will be interviewed by one of the design tutors along with a small number of other applicants. Your interviewer will normally have reviewed your portfolio so that the interview is informed by that knowledge. We won t try to catch you out or ask embarrassing questions. We want you to feel at ease so that you can do justice to yourself. You will not be asked to describe everything in your portfolio, but you should be able to talk in detail about one piece of work (often a project of our choice) and to answer questions about it. We may ask you to discuss a product brought by the interviewer or to talk about designs and/or designers of your choice and why you have chosen those examples. This enables us to see that you are aware of design and have your own opinions about it. There will be an opportunity for you to ask us questions. You may have questions about the course or something you need to know about living in Sheffield. It s fine if you wish to make a few notes as a reminder. Dress reasonably smartly, but there is absolutely no need to wear a suit. Smart but casual clothing will allow you to feel confident and at ease 15

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17 BA (Honours) Product Design: Furniture (W260) MDes Product Design: Furniture (W261) What should be in my portfolio? Confident visual style Your portfolio must provide a clear view of your creative potential and of work that you have done. We do not look for highly finished professional work as much as imagination, enthusiasm and a confident visual style. You may not have done any furniture design projects, but the work which you show us should demonstrate a strong interest and ability in both two and three dimensional areas and could range from finished products to experimental work. Drawing skills and 3D work We are very interested to see your drawing skills. Life drawings give a good idea of your potential. We also like to see 3D work. If you have 3D work that is too big to bring along, please make sure to include some good quality photographs. Even if your college or school has limited workshop facilities, you can still produce worthwhile 3D work. Some of the most interesting 3D projects use very basic studio materials such as card or fabric. Creativity Don t confine your portfolio just to design work. We also like to see examples of other creative work or personal interests which might be relevant. It is appropriate to include work from art or photography and maybe from other subjects. We would encourage you to include anything that you have made, drawn or produced that enables you to express your creative potential. If you have undertaken any contextual work in your studies then also include that. How should I organise my portfolio? Breadth and depth When compiling your portfolio, remember that we will only have a short time to look at it. The important thing is to put together a lively collection that shows both the breadth and depth of your work and how your abilities have developed. Prepare yourself, make notes It is much easier if you prepare. Don t rehearse a speech it s best to be yourself. Think about what you want to say. If you wish to make a few notes to remind you about points you want to make or a list of questions that you want to ask, that s fine. Don t forget to include your name on your portfolio, clearly but sensitively. Portfolio commentary It s a good idea to ensure that each piece of work has a short explanatory title. One or two sentences should be sufficient. Your portfolio may be seen by someone when you are not there to explain it and this will help to make sure that it is not misunderstood. What are we looking for and how do we evaluate the abilities demonstrated in your portfolio/interview? How you present yourself is as important as your portfolio. We will not want a detailed account of each piece of work but you should be able to describe any of your projects in a few sentences. Your portfolio must provide a clear view of your creative potential and of work that you have done 17

18 What happens on the selection day? You will normally be interviewed by one of the design tutors. We usually review your portfolio before talking to you so that the interview is informed by this knowledge. We usually begin by asking you why you want to come on the course before moving on to discuss your work. You will not be asked to give a detailed description of all the projects but you should be ready to talk in detail about one piece of work (sometimes this may be a project of our choice), to answer questions and to clarify anything that may not be obvious from the work presented. You may be asked to talk about designs, designers, architects, and/or spaces or buildings that you particularly like or admire and you should be prepared to discuss why you have chosen those examples. Alternatively, you might wish to talk about examples of bad design, saying why you believe they are poor. It s not enough to be able to say what you like You must be able to demonstrate that you have though about why you like or dislike something, and what in your opinion makes a particular space or building successful. You will have an opportunity to ask us questions. If possible, prepare a few before the interview. You may have a special interest that you wish to pursue during the course, you may have concerns about some aspects of the course, or you may just a practical question about living in Sheffield. Please feel free to mention anything you need or want to know. 18