I've been working in an office since graduating for 2.5 years now. I spent a year and a half in a mid size commercial firm that did significant work (shopping malls, the holocaust museum, Booker T arts school) and then moved over to a High-rise firm. I've had the opportunity to work on some great projects as designer and need to apply for graduate school soon. I've still got items to prepare for application but my portfolio is about 85% there. It would be incredibly helpful to get some feedback and maybe even chances of getting into the schools I'm pursuing. Listed below:
GSD
GSAPP
MIT
SCI-ARC
UT AUSTIN
RICE
CORNELL AAP
PORTFOLIO LINK: [redacted]
Please crit and share thoughts/comments/!
Thanks!
Anon_grad2.0
Nov 17, 18 10:34 pm
lots of generic looking renderings. Little to no drawings.
It’s probably a little to long. Most schools have a 30pg limit. You’ll run out of space with all those renderings. There’s nothing that really shows your understanding of how a building is put together.
That’s all I can come up with now on mobile. I’ll take a look at it on a larger screen at some point
saqibm7575
Nov 18, 18 1:40 am
Hey [recacted],
I have to agree with Arch_grad2.0, the portfolio just seems very generic, kind of seems you just throw everything to fill your all your pages. Your pages are extremely busy, crowded... you need white space, let your audience focus on the drawings which help explain your project. Be very selective and curate your work, this is very important.
Your page 21-24, I think those are your most powerful pages, they are very clean and let people really observe what happening.
You need to edit... big times. Also, I am also applying for master of architecture for 2019 fall, in Canada, and all the universities I have come across have a max. page requirement, usually 20-30 pages. Finally words: Quality over quantity.
Anon_grad2.0
Nov 18, 18 12:25 pm
took a closer look. Here’s some more nitpicking:
Why is your class schedule on here. It’s a waste of a spread and honestly no one cares. That’s what your transcript is for. Unless those courses have influenced your work, which it doesn’t look like it.
What was the extent of your involvement in the professional projects. If it’s production why not have a detail, or two. It’s more of the same renderings in the rest of your portfolio.
The lack of drawings makes understanding your work difficult. The text doesn’t help clear things up either. There doesn’t seem to be any clear intent in design
Dangermouse
Nov 18, 18 5:57 pm
I'm just going to be brutally honest here. With this portfolio, your chances of GSD / GSAPP / MIT are nil. Don't waste your time.
SCI-ARC admits virtually everyone and you'll probably be no exception, but get ready to pay full tuition to create a portfolio filled with generic so-cal parametricism. UT Austin and Rice are decent candidates, depending on your SOP and letters of recommendations. Cornell you maybe have a 10-20% chance.
Your professional work is an absolute liability. From an academics perspective, it is shit. The Adcom doesn't expect you to pump out pritzker level work at your first job, but they do expect you to understand that a graduate portfolio needs to convey certain information, and this ain't it.
Your typography choices bring me pain. Its hard to read, and just...bad. You introduce something like 5 fonts in the first 3 pages, and nothing is internally consistent. There is no hierarchy. This is really basic design thinking and I'm honestly mad at you for hurting my eyes, even before I get to the work.
The work isn't bad. I think you could have a chance at GSD / GSAPP / MIT is you seriously put in a few months of effort on those projects and produced meaningful sections, diagrams, and models that illustrate why you arrived at the forms shown in the renderings. But I think you'd be better suited tailoring your portfolio for a perfectly respectable mid tier grad school like Rice or UTSOA with your reaches being UVA, USC, UCLA.
randomised
Nov 19, 18 4:20 am
I can't tell what you bring to the table as a designer judging from this portfolio.
natematt
Nov 19, 18 1:18 pm
I largely agree with previous posters. It’s ok, but not great.
A few general comments. I think it’s too long for an academic application, unless standards have changed dramatically in the last couple years. As was said before, the fonts are not good, and why do you have your class schedule?
I think your personal work lacks legible depth. The design thinking is not clear, and the finished products are not polished enough to get people to overlook that. Your drawing variety is weak, and your renderings (which are almost all you have shown) are not awful, but they look very generic.
Add some real kick to your renders, better lighting, materials, maybe stylize them, or at last go full barrel hyper-realistic, like high end professional renders. They don’t have to be perfect, but spice them up. Add some non-render drawings. Maybe 50/50. In addition, cut 1-2 projects out, this way you end up only having your best (I’m guessing it’s not finished, but right now the repository is pointless to have in there). Also, have someone else proof your text for thoughtfulness, it’s very bla.
I don’t hate the inclusion of professional work, though I would limit it. I do hate that you call it praxis, though academics will probably not have a problem with that. Personally, I would include the OBC competition but cut it way down, and also Tiping Point, and try to shrink it a little as well. I would also clarify role on these projects, if they were not substantial or meaningful to the design or your ability as a designer/thinker then I’d cut them both out and not show professional work. The only value this section has is to show things you have not shown with your personal work. Focus on that if you’re going to include it.
As was already said, if you put in a fair amount of work, you could probably have a shot at the higher profiles schools, but more minor adjustments your middle tier are still in reach and probably more reasonable. I’d suggest your readjust your application choices, if you apply to 7 schools try doing 2 likely options, 3 slightly harder, and 2 longshots. Right now you are looking at 1 2 4. Dangermouse has the right idea.
Personally, I’d make your goal to get into a good “mid-tier” school with lots of scholarships. Don’t take on an immense amount of debt for your grad school.
e_zam
Nov 19, 18 11:56 pm
All -
Thanks for commenting. I agree that renderings are the same and I need to include more process. I archived all work after finishing this portfolio so just need to include...LOL work shown is the result of countless hours of studies. Would be useful actual comments on the projects and not only graphics. Revisions:
M/26/U.S.
DEGREE: B.S. ARCHITECTURE
GPA: 3.4
LOR: 2 professors 1 boss
I've been working in an office since graduating for 2.5 years now. I spent a year and a half in a mid size commercial firm that did significant work (shopping malls, the holocaust museum, Booker T arts school) and then moved over to a High-rise firm. I've had the opportunity to work on some great projects as designer and need to apply for graduate school soon. I've still got items to prepare for application but my portfolio is about 85% there. It would be incredibly helpful to get some feedback and maybe even chances of getting into the schools I'm pursuing. Listed below:
GSD
GSAPP
MIT
SCI-ARC
UT AUSTIN
RICE
CORNELL AAP
PORTFOLIO LINK: [redacted]
Please crit and share thoughts/comments/!
Thanks!
lots of generic looking renderings. Little to no drawings.
It’s probably a little to long. Most schools have a 30pg limit. You’ll run out of space with all those renderings. There’s nothing that really shows your understanding of how a building is put together.
That’s all I can come up with now on mobile. I’ll take a look at it on a larger screen at some point
Hey [recacted],
I have to agree with Arch_grad2.0, the portfolio just seems very generic, kind of seems you just throw everything to fill your all your pages. Your pages are extremely busy, crowded... you need white space, let your audience focus on the drawings which help explain your project. Be very selective and curate your work, this is very important.
Your page 21-24, I think those are your most powerful pages, they are very clean and let people really observe what happening.
You need to edit... big times. Also, I am also applying for master of architecture for 2019 fall, in Canada, and all the universities I have come across have a max. page requirement, usually 20-30 pages. Finally words: Quality over quantity.
took a closer look. Here’s some more nitpicking:
Why is your class schedule on here. It’s a waste of a spread and honestly no one cares. That’s what your transcript is for. Unless those courses have influenced your work, which it doesn’t look like it.
What was the extent of your involvement in the professional projects. If it’s production why not have a detail, or two. It’s more of the same renderings in the rest of your portfolio.
The lack of drawings makes understanding your work difficult. The text doesn’t help clear things up either. There doesn’t seem to be any clear intent in design
I'm just going to be brutally honest here. With this portfolio, your chances of GSD / GSAPP / MIT are nil. Don't waste your time.
SCI-ARC admits virtually everyone and you'll probably be no exception, but get ready to pay full tuition to create a portfolio filled with generic so-cal parametricism. UT Austin and Rice are decent candidates, depending on your SOP and letters of recommendations. Cornell you maybe have a 10-20% chance.
Your professional work is an absolute liability. From an academics perspective, it is shit. The Adcom doesn't expect you to pump out pritzker level work at your first job, but they do expect you to understand that a graduate portfolio needs to convey certain information, and this ain't it.
Your typography choices bring me pain. Its hard to read, and just...bad. You introduce something like 5 fonts in the first 3 pages, and nothing is internally consistent. There is no hierarchy. This is really basic design thinking and I'm honestly mad at you for hurting my eyes, even before I get to the work.
The work isn't bad. I think you could have a chance at GSD / GSAPP / MIT is you seriously put in a few months of effort on those projects and produced meaningful sections, diagrams, and models that illustrate why you arrived at the forms shown in the renderings. But I think you'd be better suited tailoring your portfolio for a perfectly respectable mid tier grad school like Rice or UTSOA with your reaches being UVA, USC, UCLA.
I can't tell what you bring to the table as a designer judging from this portfolio.
I largely agree with previous posters. It’s ok, but not great.
A few general comments. I think it’s too long for an academic application, unless standards have changed dramatically in the last couple years. As was said before, the fonts are not good, and why do you have your class schedule?
I think your personal work lacks legible depth. The design thinking is not clear, and the finished products are not polished enough to get people to overlook that. Your drawing variety is weak, and your renderings (which are almost all you have shown) are not awful, but they look very generic.
Add some real kick to your renders, better lighting, materials, maybe stylize them, or at last go full barrel hyper-realistic, like high end professional renders. They don’t have to be perfect, but spice them up. Add some non-render drawings. Maybe 50/50. In addition, cut 1-2 projects out, this way you end up only having your best (I’m guessing it’s not finished, but right now the repository is pointless to have in there). Also, have someone else proof your text for thoughtfulness, it’s very bla.
I don’t hate the inclusion of professional work, though I would limit it. I do hate that you call it praxis, though academics will probably not have a problem with that. Personally, I would include the OBC competition but cut it way down, and also Tiping Point, and try to shrink it a little as well. I would also clarify role on these projects, if they were not substantial or meaningful to the design or your ability as a designer/thinker then I’d cut them both out and not show professional work. The only value this section has is to show things you have not shown with your personal work. Focus on that if you’re going to include it.
As was already said, if you put in a fair amount of work, you could probably have a shot at the higher profiles schools, but more minor adjustments your middle tier are still in reach and probably more reasonable. I’d suggest your readjust your application choices, if you apply to 7 schools try doing 2 likely options, 3 slightly harder, and 2 longshots. Right now you are looking at 1 2 4. Dangermouse has the right idea.
Personally, I’d make your goal to get into a good “mid-tier” school with lots of scholarships. Don’t take on an immense amount of debt for your grad school.
All -
Thanks for commenting. I agree that renderings are the same and I need to include more process. I archived all work after finishing this portfolio so just need to include...LOL work shown is the result of countless hours of studies. Would be useful actual comments on the projects and not only graphics. Revisions:
-Diversify rendering styles
-Include process drawings/models
-More diagrams/sections/rendered floor plans(textures)
-Details/wall sections
-Condense to 30 pages (Yes - most school limit to this number) with one to 2 projects max from practice.
Great start - will keep at it.