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Portfolio feedback required for Application to Master's Degree at TU Delft
Hello guys!
My name is Yosua. I'm new to Archinect, although I've known it for long.
So, as you might have figured, I'm planning on applying to TU Delft this year for Master's Degree in Architecture and I'm finalizing my preparation for the required documents, especially my portfolio. I got rejected last year for poor portfolio presentation, so I'm feeling quite unsure. I have been discussing on my portfolio design with my supervising professor, but I feel I might need more second opinions, so I'm trying to get more critics and comments on my portfolio here to make it better.
Here is the link for my portfolio: https://issuu.com/ysa.a7/docs/...
By the way, although my main priority is TU Delft, I'm thinking of sending application to UCL Bartlett, Staedelschule, TU Eindhoven, and University of Edinburgh. Are they good enough or does anyone know any other options? I'm thinking of European university because I'm eager to study topics related on Architectural Design and Environmental Sustainability.
Any feedbacks are welcome. Thank you in advance for sparring some time looking at my portfolio and helping.
Cheers, Yosua
Your layouts drastically needs to be changed... it's just terrible.
First, deal with and simplify the many, many fonts, the many justification styles, bold text, sizes... then kill the blurry feathered image frames with fire. All of them and use thin black lines. After you've purged all the styles, purge the content. Sections are bland and empty yet take up valuable page real-estate. Take the best image from each project and set your focus on that... then use concept sketches and whatnot as supporting players. Right now, everything is just a clusterfuck with no hierarchy or structure. The fake pastel colour backgrounds don't help either.
Thanks for the comments. It helps me a lot as graphic design has not been my forte. I'll try to do an overhaul and make it simpler.
If I may ask to clarify one thing, can you elaborate a little bit more on "everything is just a clusterfuck with no hierarchy or structure"? Does it refer to how the layout is so "noisy" or something else? I'm asking because my intention had been to explain one point (e.g. concept, structure) each on each page, but I guess I have failed again to convey it clearly in my design
Thank you :)
You understood my point very well. SImplify the pages and only show work that makes sense with the other images. Don't throw every single image into one spread... learn to triage.
Your layouts are... a lot. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be looking at on the page. There is little, if any, hierarchy.
In the beginning, it looks like you are starting each new project on the left side of the spread, but then your third project starts on the right side. Try to keep it consistent. Maybe 2 spreads per project to start out with so the reader knows where the next project is going to start. You want it predictable.
Remove the inspirational stuff on the last page. It doesn't come off as high Design; it comes off as cheesy. Remove your 'personal inspirations'; a picture of some books and an oboe do not contribute to your portfolio.
Thanks a lot for the comments! I appreciate the feedback. I suppose I need to make the information flow much simpler and similar for each project.
i think it would make your life easier if you decided on typeface and colour palette before you rework your portfolio
Thanks for the advice. I have actually used the same typeface for all texts, but maybe it looked messy because of the bolds and font size as Non Sequitur stated. I'll take note on the colour palette advice. Thanks again!
- Design a cover that makes people want to flip through the folio
- Add a proper back page to finalise the folio
- Be more selective of what you show (and what not) and how you show it. Build a narrative for the portfolio
- Typography (and graphic design) can be your friend
- Edit your texts, don't over explain; you're audience are professionals.
Thank you for the advices.
Thank you for the advices. sorry for the cut reply. handphone issues. If I may ask to clarify, by cover, are you refering to the most front cover or cover page for each project. Yes, I'm trying to reduce the amount of words and improve the graphic design. Thanks once again for the advices!
For each project might be overkill, don't you think?
True, indeed. I just had to ask since graphic design and layout isn't quite my forte. Thanks for replying. It helps a lot.
There are def some goods things starting to happen in your portfolio. Some of the renderings look nice and there are also some great illustrator diagrams.
However, I found myself too distracted by the font. Too much text, no one on the review committee will read all that text. I would rather have you explain concepts through sketches and diagrams with minimal text. The color palette is all over the place. Pick a couple of colors and use different shades. I have seen some very successful portfolios that use just a couple of colors to create hierarchy on a page. White space is your friend. Lastly, those borders around images don't do you any good.
You have good work. You just need to highlight the important aspects of each project better and that should give you a pretty solid portfolio.
Thanks for the detailed comments! Yes, as others
have also pointed out, my worst problem is with the texts and messy layout with many colors. I'll work on it!
sweet fucking jesus
Yeah, I know right... My portfolio must be a real disaster with those amount of words and all 'colorful' layout. I'm currently fixing the whole thing as instructed by the others though. I hope you don't mind taking a look a
gain at the edited version once I'm done with it.
Scariest thing I've seen in a long while:
Hope I can sleep tonight.
Oh for fuck's sake....
BTW, that image is used twice in the portfolio.
Ah, the girl with no face... Is it really that bad as a rendering though? I hope you were just jesting. Lumion's 3D figure's facial expression doesn't look very good so I figured to just flatten the whole face. I never thought it would be that bad.
@Non Sequitur: Yes, I just noticed that I used this rendering twice as I was re-editing the folio. I must be too tired not to notice such simple mistake
. Thanks for the notice anyway.
^don't be a slave to the output software. Take an extra 10mins and fix your images post-rendering in photoshop.
Indeed, I agree with you. I'll work on it
I despise generated humanoid figures. I always add people post rendering in PS and as semi-translucent outlines.
I see, that's why... I am quite neutral on generated figures, although I agree they look awful if not photoshopped. I will stick with this figure for the project above though because I personally prefer "pastel drawing like" rendering to super-realistic one. Of course, I will definitely fix the face to best I can.
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