Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)
Pratt Institute
University of Southern California (USC)
Tulane University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Temple University
University of Oregon
Cranbrook Academy of Art
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Kansas State University
Rejection from Delft and UCL..need a feedback
Hey...I got a rejection letter from Delft for second time and UCL..can anyone give me honest feedback for my portfolio?
https://issuu.com/dyaharienilarasati/docs/dyah_arieni_larasati_march_architecture_applicatio
Here's what they write :
Your application has been rejected for the following reason(s):
- The Selection Committee considers the quality of your portfolio insufficient.
- The application does not sufficiently demonstrate appropriate design skills and concept development nor the ability
to apply them intro coherent morphological and typological compositions across a variety of spatial, scalar and
programmatic complexities. The application does not sufficiently demonstrate aesthetic and architectural sensibility
and the capacity to integrate these into comprehensive architectural project proposals. The application does not
demonstrate enough academic curiosity, critical and open approaches to the discipline of architecture, expressed
through a solid command of theoretical concepts, analytical skills, historical and design precedents.
That response contains sooooooo much archspeak I nearly had a seizure.
My advice to OP:
1) Set the table. Start each project with an appetizer that tells them the basics about the projects: Project type, site constraints, program, big architectural challenges you needed to overcome
2) Serve them the main dish. A slide that shows the diagrammatic moves you made that illustrates your thought process and how you arrived at your solution. These diagrams should explain how you arrived at big formal moves. Things like shading analysis and panel concept diagrams are not helpful or necessary unless they meaningfully impact the end result of the buildings form/materiality (and if they are, then you need a compelling image/rendering that explains this). You can follow this with some plans/sections/section diagrams that demonstrate that you thought this through to a complete building.
3) Give them the desert. A lasting image that you're proud of. Keep this slide simple and clean. Resist the urge to add call-outs and leader lines explaining every single move you made. Nobody is going to read this. You can talk about it during the interview if you get that far. You want to leave an impression and pique their curiosity, not overwhelm them with insignificant information.
4) Pare down (drastically) the cartoon thought bubbles and speaking bubbles. You seem to be using this as a crutch to try and over communicate the ideas you were not able to convey through the architectural moves you made. You have visual/graphic talent, don't cloud it with unnecessary exposition.
5) Remove your resume. It doesn't belong in your portfolio. The portfolio is eye candy that should entice the viewer to want to learn more about you, don't treat it as your magnum opus. If you want to submit your resume, submit it as a supplemental package.
6) This is my biggest suggestion: Don't apply to pretentious universities that get lost up their own ass when throwing $100 architecture vocabulary words at you. Their rejection letter is somehow more redundant and superfluous then the portfolio they just rejected. You can get the same education at a state school and you'll end up sharing a workstation with someone who went to a stuffy hoity-toity university, and nobody else will care or even notice the difference. Just reading that rejection letter triggered some sort of class-hatred in me.
Thanks a lot for the feedback...it's really helpful,i'll improve it
That folio has sooooooo much crap just mashed up in every.single.page. Easy rejection in my view. It's so busy that it is literally unreadable. Maybe there is brilliant stuff in there but no one can see it because of the design/layout choices you've made. You need to step back and curate the work in a way that is legible.
Yeah i might have to rethink about the content.Thanks for your feedback
I'm not suggesting you do this, but your entire portfolio could have been one single project, spread out over 25 pages. I've never seen a more confused, illegible, difficult to understand portfolio in 25 years. And yet it's obvious you have skills - you just have no idea how to communicate. What were you thinking? Have you ever seen a portfolio like yours before? If not, there's a reason for that.
Too much stuff crammed in each page imo, take the most important images and get rid of the extraneous stuff, also be mindful of white space, in your case maybe show more with less
Thanks a lot for your advice
I think you had so much effort on this folio, which is great. I can see it. However, pages are too complicated. There is no certain layout (this can be your choice as well, but it can be readable). When I see the cover page I felt "oh well it will be a nice portfolio" then I turned the page and your resume page bring me anxiety. I mean, really I got dizzy:D When I see the page I didn't want to look into it, I just wanted to turn the page. Maybe your projects are nice and creative but nobody can read them, they are so exhausting. I don't say think minimalist, this is your perspective. But remove half of the images, diagrams, cartoon things, etc.
Sorry for make you dizzy..Hahaha Thanks for your feedb
ack..l'll improve it
I think you have some really nice drawings and work in there so well done for that, but like the others mentioned you have to work on the layout quite a bit. Space things out a little...at the moment the layout makes the pages look too visually noisy and confusing. If the page limit is the issue that is driving you to fit in as many projects as possible, I think you should consider picking out just the most compelling drawings for each project, or limiting the number of projects you show. I also think its ok to have a few visually noisy pages but try to avoid placing them consecutively...have a few breathers. For example, pages 3 and 4 placed together are way too exhausting to look at...and I think the CV can be summarised, there is too much information there. Towards the end of the portfolio, the layout seems more organised and visually calming, so i think its just the first couple of pages that need major work done.
Thanks a lot for your advice...i think it's very helpful.
ll try to fix it
erase 75 percent of it, and keep the same page count to layout the remaining 25 percent. WHITE SPACE
I would look up portfolios on issuu of people who got into these schools. It seems like you need to space out your work a lot more.
you had a really clean cover, and when i clicked through it I didn't even know what to look at. you do have some really good drawings and i see the amount of effort put into it, but each project needs to show hierarchy (eg a large focus image, with smaller diagrams etc), WHITE SPACE!! put one image on one page even and have like 2in margins, and I think you should work with grids. i feel like you just took everythnig you had and tried fitting it all... you gotta be more selective. pg 16 is clean, i like it because i knew what i was looking at. and also, i could not differentiate between each of the projects, so maybe you could give each project title it's own page
Thanks for your advice
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