Importance of Portfolio for admission to Design School
Portfolio review is a key screening process in many design schools, including the NIDs. Here we discuss why a portfolio is important and how you can make one.
Importance of portfolio in design school admission - If you are seeking admission to a top design school, be ready with a portfolio. It is because a majority of the design colleges ask for one to judge your readiness and suitability for the design coures offered by these institutes. So, if you haven't yet made a portfolio yet, START one today. Note that a portfolio will go hand-in-hand with the written exam. This means you can't ignore one for the other. To get a good score in the exam, you can to focus on both of these exam components. The portfolio review is the 2nd phase of the screening process. For instance, if you are seeking admission to any of the National Institute of Design (NIDs), you need to be ready with an appealing portfolio. The NID exam has two stages - DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The DAT Mains exam has a portfolio review round.
Typically, the portfolio review segment is included with the Personal Interview process. But there are also instances where the Portfolio is a part of the application process, for instance when filling out the ISDI Challenge application form, you also need to upload your portfolio. Do you have any idea what exactly is a Portfolio? If you only have a scratchy idea, this article is for you:
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There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.What is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is a collection of your best works in the field of design. The purpose of the portfolio is to introduce yourself to the interview panel and tell them where you come from, what are your abilities, the extent of your creativity, and also to show them the ember inside you that is waiting to lighten up.
Q: When will the NID DAT 2025 Prelims exam be conducted?
The National Institute of Design (NID) will conduct the DAT Prelims exam on January 5, 2025.
The B.Des exam will be held from 10 am - 1 pm; meanwhile, the M.Des exam will be held from 10 am - 12.30 am.
The DAT Prelims for the B.Des programme will be conducted in a paper-and-pencil/pen mode. The question paper may incude both textual and visual questions. Other details like duration of the exam, marking scheme, etc. will be published in the DAT Prelims admit card.
The candidate needs to report for the exam at 8 am. Gates closing time is 9.30 am.
The DAT Prelims exam for the M.Des programme will be conducted offline and include a mix of objective and subjective questions. The paper will have a total of 100 questions.
Q: Is there negative marking in NID DAT Prelims?
There is no negative marking in NID DAT Prelims.
So, the candidate may attempt all the questions. If the wrong answer is selected, the candidate won't be penalized. However, if the correct answer option is selected, the candidate may get some free marks.
Note that the DAT Prelims exam will be conducted in an OMR-based mode. The candidate will need a blue/black ball-point pen for filling the OMR sheet.
Q: Is it necessary to appear in both DAT Prelims and DAT Mains for admission to Design courses at NID?
The National Institutes of Design (NIDs) currently offer the BDes and MDes courses. Admission to these courses will be based on the merit rank of the candidate in the NID DAT exam, which will be prepared by considering the performance of the candidate in DAT Prelims and DAT Mains. The weightage carried by the two exams is notified by the National Institute of Design at the time of declaration of final results. Note that in NID DAT 2025, the DAT Prelims will carry 40% weightage, while DAT Mains will carry 60% weightage.
The candidate has to first appear in DAT Prelims, and if shortlisted has to next appear in DAT Mains. The DAT Mains exam for the BDes comprises a Studio Test, but also an interview for the MDes programme.
The portfolio may include all or any of the following media:
- Drawings
- Paintings
- Performances
- Sculptures
- Graphic designs
- Animations
- Photographs
- Sketchbook pages.
If you are uploading the portfolio online, make sure that it is within acceptable limits and in the prescribed size. For instance, ISDI Challenge recommends JPEG/JPG images with a file size not exceeding 500 MB.
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Importance of a portfolio for admission to a design school
The portfolio is a means to promote your candidature by showcasing the entire range of your abilities, creativity, and skills. The whole point of the portfolio is to make the interview panel sit up and take notice.
Here are some of the key reasons why the portfolio is important.
- The portfolio is a prism through which the interview committee will take a peek at your body of work.
- Considering making a portfolio takes time and effort, the jury will be able to evaluate the skills, mastery, and presentation skills of the candidate by minutely observing the portfolio.
- Design, though is not a mainstream course, is gaining in popularity with more and more students driven towards the field. So, you need to be at the top of your game to make a mark among the pretenders.
- The portfolio is a means to leave a lasting impact on the mind of the jury. Note that the portfolio comprises many elements like typography, picture consistency, seamless transition, color coordination, and a host of other stuff. If you can get the right balance between all these elements, you can hook the jury and get his or her approval.
- A good portfolio will bring underline your understanding of design, business communication, and concept-development and problem-solving ability. Further, it will help you sell your strengths while ironing out your weaknesses.
- In case you are finding the task of making a portfolio a bit daunting at the start, it shouldn’t deter you. It is because as you keep building the portfolio, things will start falling into their place and you will also get a better understanding of the entire process.
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Tips to create a portfolio that works
Here are some useful ideas that you can refer to for making a powerful portfolio.
Q: Do I need to attend a mandatory foundation course after admission through NID DAT 2025?
Yes, institutes like NIDA, NIDAP, and others will conduct a mandatory foundation program. However, note that the duration of the foundation course may vary from one NID to another.
The candidate is urged to carefully go through the admission brochure to learn the full details on the foundation program.
Q: Will there be reservation of seats at the NIDs?
Seats will be reserved for various categories at the NIDs as per the norms of the Government of India. For instance, the seats available for the BDes and MDes programmes are classified into different categories like Open, Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD, etc. The candidate will have to select their admission category at the time of filling out the NID DAT 2024 application form. Of the total seat intake, 10% of seats will be reserved for Gen-EWS, 27% for OBC-NCL, 15% for SC, and 7.5% for the ST category. However, note that Foreign nationals applying under the Overseas category are outside the ambit of reservation of seats for the GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD categories.
Q: What are the participating institutes of NID for the B. Des programme?
There are five participating institutes of NID DAT exam that offer the B.Des program.
These include: NID Ahmedabad NID Andhra Pradesh NID Haryana NID Madhya Pradesh NID Assam.
The seat intake for the B. Des stands at 425. Among the participating institutes, NID Ahmedabad has an intake of 125 seats, while the rest of the NIDs each has an intake of 75 seats. Note that seats are reserved for categories like General-EWS, OBC, SC, and ST categories.
Admission to these seats will be on the basis of NID DAT scores.
Note that the next edition of the NID DAT exam, or NID DAT 2025, will be conducted tentatively in December 2024.
The application form is expected to commence in September 2024.
Q: How many seats are available for admission through NID DAT 2025?
The participating institutes of NID DAT 2025 offers B. Des and M.Des courses. The B. Des programme is available at five participating NIDs and has an intake capacity of 425 seats. Meanwhile, the M.Des programme is three NIDs and has a combined intake of 347 seats.
Admission to both B. Des and M.Des courses will be through the NID DAT 2025 entrance exam. The seat allotment to the above courses wlll be based on respective merit lists which will be prepared considering weighted scores of DAT Prelims and DAT Mains.
Q: Can Diploma candidates apply for admission to M.Des programme through NID DAT 2025?
Diploma candidates need to meet the following conditions for admission:
- Done full-time Diploma of 4-year duration after 10+2
- Diploma in the following subjects is accepted - Design/ Fine Arts/ Applied Arts/ Architecture.
- The Diploma must be done from a university or institute recognised by law in India.
Additionally, the candidate must have appeared in all the subjects and backlogs (if any) by June 30, 2025.
- If your portfolio is aligned with your interests and passion, there is more chance the portfolio will click.
- So, when choosing projects, you may check if they are aligned with your area of interest or expertise.
- If you pick a topic that is outside your sphere of interest, get ready to put in double the effort. Do the research and let loose your creativity.
- Remember, the portfolio is not about how much work you have done, but what kind (or the quality) of work you have done.
- Normally, you can pick 10-15 items for making the portfolio. Make sure that the chosen items are your best work. The items among other things must demonstrate your hold over different themes, color combination, and designs.
- If the portfolio has to be carried around, keep it within a manageable proportion. Or else, be ready for a nightmare moving them from one place to another.
- The portfolio should start and end with a splash, so put your best pieces at the start and end.
- The portfolio should show your range of work, so don’t stuff it with similar types of work.
- Label each item properly. These short labels will help the jury get a quick idea of what the item is all about.
Importance of Portfolio for admission to Design School - FAQs
Q. Do I need a portfolio for admission to a design school?
Q. What is a portfolio?
Q. What is the proper size of a portfolio?
Q. What should be the order of the items in the portfolio?
Q. What is labelling in a portfolio?
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