How to make a perfect product design portfolio for university

When you apply to study a product design degree at university you may be asked to submit a portfolio to support your application.

04 November 2025

Anna Lis, BA (Hons) Product Design

Creating a portfolio for a product design degree is your opportunity to impress universities with your ability and creativity.

It may feel a bit daunting when getting started, but with a little planning you'll start to understand how your portfolio should piece together.

This guide is for anyone looking to apply to a product design degree and focuses on what to include in your portfolio, how to present your work and what admissions tutors are really looking for. 

What is a product design portfolio? 

A product design university portfolio is a collection of work that visually showcases to universities what you create and how you do it.

It's a way to show admissions tutors and lecturers what your current ability is, demonstrate the range of techniques you know and inspire confidence in your potential as a future designer.

It's not just a book containing photographs of your designs, but a collection of different types of work that are tied together in to illustrate everything you know about design.

The exact requirements for your portfolio may vary between different universities and the specific course you’ve applied to. For example, the Product Design BA (Hons) degree at UCA asks for up to 12 examples of work.

Linda Suchanova, MA Product Design, UCA Canterbury
Linda Suchanova, Product Design MA

What should you include in a product design portfolio? 

Every portfolio is different, but a strong product design portfolio should showcase the level and range of your ability.

Academics and admissions tutors are interested to see how you develop an idea from initial concept through to project completion. They want to understand how you work, how you progress ideas and the skills you use during the process.

Here are some of the key types of work you might consider including: 

  • Examples of products, prototypes and models that you've created.
    • It doesn't have to be the physical item (that may be a bit tricky to do in some cases!), but may be images of the piece
  • Sketchbooks with drawings or collages and related notes
  • Other creative and design-related work such as graphics, photography or 3D models
  • Written work, such as a blog or a review of a completed project

Make sure you include work that demonstrates the range of your skills and knowledge. There may be areas of design you specialise in or are more passionate about and that's great, make sure that this is the centrepiece of your portfolio, but don't neglect everything else you know.

Top tips for building a stand-out product design portfolio 

  • Start strong and finish strong: begin with a project that represents you at your best and finish something that shows your ambitions for the future. 
  • Document everything: photograph and write about your process as you go. 
  • Tell a story: order your work so that it flows naturally from research to development to outcomes. 
  • Share your personality: Let your interests and influences shine through. Your tutors want to learn about you, not just your work. 
  • Be selective: Aim for quality over quantity. 
  • Show your process: don’t hide your unfinished work or failed experiments. Explain what they taught you and how you adapted. 
  • Ask for feedback: show your portfolio to teachers, classmates, or industry professionals before you submit it. 
Edward Lewis, BA (Hons) Product Design, UCA Canterbury
Edward Lewis, Product Design BA (Hons)

How to present your product design portfolio 

Most universities will invite you to an applicant or interview day. During these days you’ll be given an opportunity to present or discuss your portfolio with a course academic or admissions tutor. 

For many reasons, some people are unable to attend an applicant day. Most universities will allow you to upload your portfolio online instead when this happens.  

Make sure you focus on clarity, not perfection. Admissions tutors want to see well-organised and thoughtfully sequenced work: 

  • Use folders to group related pieces  
  • Label everything 
  • If you include any videos, ensure links are public or unlisted on platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo so that they’re viewable to everyone  
  • Keep written material legible and well-formatted 

What are admissions tutors looking for in a product design portfolio? 

Your future lecturers want to understand your process and assess your creative potential.

Whilst they, of course, want to see how technically skilled you are, but that's not the whole story. They want to get to know you, so make sure to inject your personality and passion into your portfolio.

Here’s what will stand out to them: 

  • Creative thinking and originality 
  • A willingness to express yourself 
  • A passion for design
  • Honesty and self-reflection 
  • Potential to develop and grow as part of your degree 

They aren’t looking for professionals, they want to see passion, experimentation and an eagerness to learn. 

Michelle Stannard - Product & Furniture Design BA (Hons)
Michelle Stannard, Product & Furniture Design BA (Hons)

Need more portfolio support?  

Still unsure what to include? Come along to one of our upcoming Open Days where you can speak to our product design academics and Admissions Team in more detail about what they expect to see in your portfolio.  

You can also use our Unibuddy chat platform to speak directly to current UCA students and ask them about their portfolio. For more inspiration you could also check out the work created by UCA product design students via our online graduate showcase.

Related courses 

Undergraduate 

Postgraduate