Practical / Portfolio and Project Work
What the domain tests
Practical/Portfolio and Project Work assesses the process as much as the finished artefact: the design cycle, sketchbook evidence, craft in mounting and presentation, and your ability to explain the work in a viva. Marks are awarded for brief, research, ideation, development, final execution and documentation.
Core rules
- The cycle: brief → research → thumbnails → roughs → comprehensive → final artwork → photograph or document → evaluate. Keep dated evidence at every stage, because assessors mark the process sheet.
- Thumbnails are small, fast and numerous (10–20); roughs refine two or three; a comprehensive is a near-final mock-up.
- Portfolio: 10–15 strongest pieces showing breadth (drawing, type, poster, packaging, digital) and depth (one project carried through to a finished campaign). Label each with title, medium, size, date and a one-line concept.
- Craft: mount on rigid board with even margins, use archival adhesive, avoid fingerprints, protect with a flap, keep edges square.
- Digital submission: one PDF, consistent page size, 150–300 ppi, clearly named.
- Viva: state the brief, the audience, the concept, the choices of colour, type and image, and what you would change.
Worked example
A ten-day poster project: days 1–2 collect references and write the brief; day 3 make twenty thumbnails; days 4–5 develop two colour roughs; days 6–8 build the final at 300 ppi with bleed, test print and correct; day 9 mount and photograph; day 10 write the evaluation. Fixing the brief and the thumbnail count first prevents the classic failure of falling in love with the first idea and having no development evidence to show.
Traps
Presenting only the final piece with no process; overworking a drawing until the paper is destroyed; uneven or dirty mounting; unlabelled work; a portfolio of fifteen versions of one layout; being unable to explain a colour or typeface choice in the viva.