How to make a perfect interior design portfolio for university

Putting together an interior design portfolio when you apply to university may sound like a complicated and daunting challenge. Take a moment to breathe and give yourself some time to plan. Once you start gathering your ideas, you’ll find everything begins to fall into place.

Your portfolio is your chance to show admissions tutors and interior design lecturers who you are as a creative. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate your skills, personality and potential.

This guide focuses on what to include, how to present your work and what universities are really looking for. 

• What is an interior design portfolio? 
• What should you include in an interior design portfolio?
• Top tips for building a stand-out interior design portfolio
• How to present your interior design portfolio
• What are admissions tutors looking for in an interior design portfolio?

What is an interior design portfolio? 

An interior design university portfolio your chance to introduce yourself to the universities you've applied to.

It brings together examples of your work to demonstrate your level of skill, the range of your abilities and your potential for future development.

The exact requirements for your portfolio may vary between different universities and the specific course you’ve applied to. For example, the portfolio requirements for Interior Design BA (Hons) at UCA specifies that you should select up to 12 pieces of work.

A strong portfolio doesn’t only show final outcomes. It should capture the journey behind your projects, from early ideas and research to sketches, development and the finished work. This helps universities understand your influences and get a sense of your creative process.

What should you include in an interior design portfolio? 

What you include in your portfolio will depend on the requirements set out by each university, but a strong interior design portfolio will tell a story of your strongest work.

Universities love to see the journey of how ideas evolve from early inspiration through to a final design.

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

• Completed designs or art work
• Sketchbooks
• Annotations and notes
• Reflective writing about your work

If you haven't studied design at school or college you could also consider including other creative work such as photography or blog writing that demonstrates your passion for design.

Your portfolio doesn't just have to be a series of your most polished work. Drafts and development work that showcases a range of skills and techniques will be just as valuable to admissions tutors.

Top tips for building a stand-out interior design portfolio 

• Start strong and finish strong: begin with a project that represents you at your best and finish something that shows your ambition or future direction.
• 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. 

How to present your interior 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 an interior design portfolio? 

Lecturers and admissions tutors want to understand who you are as a creative. They’re not just assessing technical ability, but trying to gauge your potential for a career as a an interior designer.

Remember, you'll be learning new techniques and improving your skills throughout your degree, so as long as you show universities that there's room for you to develop they'll be interested to learn about you.

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 

At UCA, above all else we want to see your individuality and creative process. The story behind your work is just as important as the finished results.  

Need more portfolio support?  

Still unsure what to include? Come along to one of our upcoming Open Days where you can speak to our interior 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 interior design students via our online graduate showcase. 

Related courses 

Undergraduate 

• Interior Design BA (Hons)
• Studio Practice (Interior Design) (top-up) BA (Hons)

Postgraduate 

• Interior Design MA