Interior Design School Admission Portfolio Tips
For interior design schools, admission requirements aren’t exactly identical to the application guidelines for your run-of-the-mill liberal arts college program. If you’re considering attending an interior design college, you’ll need a top-notch portfolio.
A good interior design portfolio shows the strength of your visual creative flair and the range of your technical skills. Read on to find out some suggestions from interior design school admissions officers and admissions departments about how to make your application stand out from the pack, and land a coveted enrollment spot at the interior design college at the top of your wish list.
For an Interior Design Program In an Art School
If you’re looking at studying interior design at an art school, the admissions committee not only wants to know that you're an artist, but that you are the right kind of artist for an interior design degree. The Rocky Mountain College of Art, which offers an interior design college degree within an arts-focused school, has very specific suggestions for interior design applicants:
- Prove your ability to formulate a cohesive design concept and your “big picture” visual thinking.
- Demonstrate your comprehension of color theory, and apply it by using strong color schemes in your portfolio.
- If you have technical abilities in terms of drafting or illustrating interior or architectural space, show those off!
For an Interior Design Program In a Liberal Arts School
If you’re looking at an interior design college concentration within a traditional liberal arts environment, admissions requirements are a bit different. You’ll need to show substantial academic achievements to gain entrance, just like any other application at the school, plus an impressive portfolio.
The requirements for your portfolio may be more tied to your academic work than if you were applying to an art school. For example, the interior design admissions officers at prestigious Cornell University set these guidelines:
- Label every piece in your portfolio with whether it was made as part of your classwork, or as an independent project.
- Include a clear, comprehensive table of contents for your interior design portfolio so that admissions officers can refer between it and your transcript to gauge your development over the course of your high school career.
Why Your Portfolio Matters So Much to Interior Design Colleges
There are many reasons why an interior design school considers your portfolio so crucial to your acceptance into the program. It is the admissions committee’s chance to see the world through your eyes and to gauge whether your level of technical sophistication is a good match for the program. More than that, though, admissions officers see your portfolio as an indication of your promise and your potential for future success in the field.