How I Built My Graphic Design Portfolio ✦ University of Edinburgh Application

https://youtu.be/jNBicV8tiKM

Applying to graduate design programs forced me to step back and think differently about my work. I started viewing the way I presented my work not just in terms of finished visuals, but in terms of process, systems, research, and how ideas evolve over time.

When I started building my application portfolio for the University of Edinburgh’s Graphic Design master’s program, one of the things I struggled to find were examples of graduate-level portfolios rooted in professional practice rather than traditional studio coursework. A lot of the available resources focused heavily on aesthetics or final outputs, or were undergraduate or professional career focused portfolios. The application requirements ended up guiding the way I structured my portfolio more than other resources I had found. I ended up placing much stronger emphasis on conceptual development, experimentation, research methods, and working process because of the application requirements than I would have, had I just followed what I was finding on the internet.

I ended up organizing each project around:

• context and constraints

• discovery and research

• strategic thinking

• experimentation and exploration

• system development

• and final application

  
  

The result became less about showcasing isolated deliverables and more about documenting how design decisions were made across different types of projects and environments.

In the video above, I walk through the portfolio I submitted for my University of Edinburgh application, explain some of the thinking behind the structure, and reflect on what I learned throughout the process.

This is by no means the "blueprint" of how you should create your portfolio, this is just what I did and what got me into the graphic design masters program. If you’re currently applying to graduate programs, building a portfolio, or trying to figure out how to present professionally rooted design work in an academic context, I hope this gives you a useful perspective!