Portfolio and Project Assessment
What the exam tests
This domain assesses how you document a design project from brief to evaluation. A strong portfolio shows research, decision-making, technical skill, costing and reflection, not only a finished garment.
Core rules and concepts
- A portfolio is a curated evidence file; a project is the full design and make process. Include the brief, customer profile, research, mood board, colour palette, sketches, technical flats, fabric swatches, samples, pattern, costing and photographs.
- Show alternatives and explain why you rejected them. Assessors reward reasoned decisions, not unexplained final designs.
- Label every sample and image. State fabric, composition, source and purpose. Keep a clean, consistent layout.
- Evaluate against the brief: fit, finish, cost, wearability, sustainability and what you would change.
- Present orally with a clear structure and know your cost sheet and construction details.
Worked example
A project brief asks for a block-printed cotton kurta for college wear under ₹900. The portfolio shows a customer profile, three motif options, a chosen repeat, a printed swatch, a technical flat, a cost sheet and a final photograph. If the cost sheet totals ₹720, the retail price at 20% markup on retail is ₹720 ÷ 0.8 = ₹900, which meets the brief. The reasoning is that the portfolio must prove both design thinking and commercial feasibility, not just show a pretty garment.
Traps that cost marks
Including only final photographs, omitting the design process, using uncredited images, missing costing, and failing to evaluate against the brief lose marks.