Wow, I hope that makes sense to somebody. In any case you can see the model that I'm talking about at my website www.thejinx.org under media>portfolio.

keep the images small and make the connection as it relates to your models.

so how do I cite them, and how explicit do I make it that I had nothing to do with them (though I imagine that will be obvious)

Include a short blurb about the assignment (more or less what you explained above.) Credit the images to their source (this can be one line of small text.)

More importantly I'd ask yourself what you wish the audience to learn about you from this particular model. It's a competent model but it doesn't really "say" much to me about the model-maker. Is this a portfolio for the purpose of getting a summer job? Or for applying to grad school or some other academic or competetive purpose? If it's for a job search then it's probably a good thing to include - along with small thumbnails of plans and/or photos of the original building. You might label the project with the name of the course and assignment and the duration of the assignment. If it is for a portfolio for applying to schools I'd probably edit the whole project out.

In my portfolio, I included one or two sentences crediting the work. This sentence then became part of the brief paragraph that described the project or whatever the reader would be looking at. Eeayeeayo hit the nail on the head.

That guesthouse in Cambodia looks like an awesome place to stay at. Are you currently studying abroad in Japan or just traveling?

I'm teaching english to junior high and elementary school kids here on a government sponsored program.

eeayeeayo, edit the project out, eh? I am trying to include a bunch of different stuff in my portfolio, but I'm not sure what should make the cut or not. I am coming from a non accredited Architectural "Studies" major. In the images that I have right now (assuming you looked at my website) do I have enough for a portfolio? Would you cut other images as well? I started a thread about this a little while back but didn't really get serious critical feedback from people.

hi guiggster.

the online work doesn't seem enough to me for a portfolio. Mostly because the images more or less all express the same thing. Not that the drawings are bad or anything, but one drawing (maybe 2) of that sort is really enough to get a feel for your skill. It is probably worth putting together some more complete work, a serious painting/drawing or sculpture that expresses your ideas more than technique. Something that shows your commitment to the ideas you are exploring will catch attention better than a well drafted study-sketch of a hand.

Likewise for the models, computer or otherwise.

But back to your first question. Personally I wouldn't bother including plans as they won't make a difference to understanding your model-making skills. Just say what the model was made for. Now, if you took the process one step further and started deconstructing and analysing the design to show what you learned from making the model, then it would make sense. But so far you are just showing that you can put together a model. What you learned by doing that is not particularly apparent. Which is perhaps why eeayeeayo suggested not including it if applying to a school.

btw, japan gets better over time. That whole english teaching gig puts a huge skew on reality though.

Thanks for the feedback. So, what are non-Arch background applicants including in their portfolios? This is a lot of the work that I did in the very few drawing/design/studio courses I had. Going to have to rethink this whole thing I guess.

get a few other opinions before making a decision though.

I am thinking back to the portfolio i prepared to enter undergrad architecture school. Expect it wasn't so different from what many prepare to enter grad school from other faculties, though could be wrong...

The whyiwannagotoarchitectureschool essay and good grades are also pretty important, maybe even more than the portfolio work. In my case I had a fine arts background and lots of artwork to choose from to put in the portfolio but lots of my classmates had none whatsoever, so I think it is likely the key aspect the schools are looking at is attitude; confidence, willingness to explore, ability to communicate, evidence of thought processes, sort of thing.

So it comes down to how well you sell yourself.

"The whyiwannagotoarchitectureschool essay and good grades are also pretty important, maybe even more than the portfolio work. "

Interesting you should say that. It goes against almost everything I've read on archinect.

I'm still interested in how non arch applicants fill out there portfolios. I know that summer programs are good. But what if you didn't go to a summer program and you aren't a fine arts major?

guiggster: I was an engineering major, and filled mine with classical figure drawings and other freehand drawings after taking two fine arts classes. Nothing "architectural" whatsoever. So many ways to make a successful portfolio. I can only tell you what I did, why I did it, and what my results were. Keep what you like. Some of this might be telling you what you already know, but I'll ramble and rant hopefully for the benefit of others...

As a non-arch, non-FA person, I stumbled onto Linton's portfolio book (didn't find archinect until later). I felt humbled (ok, intimidated) by many of the professional examples in Linton's book. But I distilled some good lessons for myself from his critiques, then closed the book and didn't look at any other examples after that:

-Restrict text to the essential. For the most part, I kept mine to bare description, like what you'd see next to a painting in a museum, because I didn't think my figure drawings required more than that. Projects probably merit more.

-You don't have to fill every space. I used a lot of white space. Some images got a whole page. Beware software: so many tools, it's easy to get carried away with clutter. It must have been harder to get carried away in the days of real cutting and pasting!

-There should be some thread of consistency in the layout, through the portfolio. Variety, but with a plan. InDesign makes this easy, and easy to make changes if you have the foresight to create page templates and text styles. I did work it out on paper first. Also, the layout ought not to steal too much attention from your work. I wanted the reader to admire the layout after he/she was done looking, not during.

-Be merciless in your selections and exclusions. Ideally you would have enough work so that you can make multiple cuts in the selection process. This is up there with the "keep everything" advice (I should also add: photograph everything frequently, before it falls apart/gets stepped on/becomes a mouse house). Whatever makes it into your final product should be high quality and appropriate for your goals. This was the most difficult part of the project for me. There was one drawing in particular that I kept in the portfolio for the longest time until I finally admitted to myself that it didn't fit, no matter how in love with it I was.


Mostly, I thought about what I admired in others' portfolios, and also about my intended audience. My layout was simple, consistent, and clean yet varied enough to be visually interesting because that's what I value when I look at portfolios. Half of the design firm websites these days confuse the hell out of me and leave me feeling like I've been left out of some secret. My portfolio overall was quite conservative, because I intended it for an audience that had a large stack of portfolios and very little time. Not pretentious or gimmicky, and I have no regrets. If I had to do it over again, I'd simply like to have an even larger body of work from which to choose. [actually, I originally wanted to apply for 2004, but postponed applying for a year so I could generate more work]

Results: I received offers from UVA and UMD, and rejections from Penn and Princeton. I know that my academic record, scores, and rec letters are strong enough for Ivy (as yours are), and they have been for Ivy apps of mine in previous years. Surely, many other applicants had portfolios with more breadth and drama. Looking back though, I think my personal statement made the most difference in the admissions decisions. My statement was about craft, wood, pencil and paper, psychology, and the human body--combined with my portfolio it must have given the application package a nice antimodernist smell. I realize now that I would not be the best match for the theory- and computer-heavy programs like Princeton and Penn, and my statement came close to making that explicit. Not that the state schools are full of classicism, but I did see evidence of more breadth in the student work at UVA and UMD and that appealed to me. And I'd like to go to a school where I wouldn't be ostracized for not liking Gehry and Rem.

I guess the take home message is to let your application be about you, not about what you think the school is looking for. Spend a lot of time on a sincere personal statement, and revise it until it flows so well you can't believe you wrote it. Same with the portfolio. Methinks more success in school (and beyond) will come from finding the right match--I completely agree with what smokety Mc ss wrote in one of your other threads:

"You should apply where you want. Applying to name schools is fine, but research your options (I always hated when people would tell me this, but it is somewhat helpful advice). Your application is only as good as the effort you put into 'positioning' yourself. Don't worry about fitting in to someone else's conception of what a 'typical' candidate for this- or that- program may be. If you are serious about this, work on finding your 'voice' (as cheesy as it sounds) ... in the end, you will be answerable only to yourself. The best school will be the one that enables you to develop and hone your vision. And that has nothing to do with the pedigree or geographical location of the school."


I like your freehand work, and it seems portfolio-worthy to me. I agree that an assortment of sketches placed amongst your drawings could only help. I've noticed that many schools don't expect architectural design material from applicants w/o an arch background, and some actually discourage it. Your architectural studies background puts you in a unique position. I humbly suggest you keep your best hand-drawn architecture details but minimize the computer renderings unless they're included as an integral middle stage of a larger project. As far as the model goes, from what others have said above it looks like you have two approaches: model + blurb --> model making skills VS. small reproductions of plans and photos with citations + your sketches if any + model + blurb --> story. I'll vote for #2--the model is impressive for the "built this with my own two hands" factor but even more because you created it from others' piecemeal words, plans, and photos. A series of such stories--told in a concise but effective way--of your observational drawings, analytical studies, etc. could play very well on your strengths from your arch studies background and make a fine portfolio.

Oh, when reproducing the work of others (plans, photos), you might refer to the nitpicky MLA citation style guide if you want to CYA.

I know this is the longest reply ever, but I hope it helps you. Just my words though--not the gospel! Best of luck!

Very helpful. In fact, I hope others in my situation read this.