Interior Design Portfolio Review

"The portfolio is a creative act, showing your skills and imagination, but it is also an act of communication and a tool for self-promotion. Demonstrate originality and inventiveness, but also accept the restrictions and conventions of professionalism, and show that you can get your ideas across in terms that working architects and designers can understand."

Harold Linton

Portfolio review submission

New This Year: Design portfolio review day

On May 20, Interior Design @WMU is hosting the first of a planned series of annual Design Portfolio Review Days. This event will happen on WMU’s Kalamazoo campus and allow all enrolled and/or admitted students to set up portfolio review sessions with professional designers in an effort to support professional development at every stage of your education. There is no minimum requirement to participate in Design Portfolio Review Day.

A list of visiting professionals will be distributed to students and published to this webpage early May 2022. Students will be able to sign up for a one-on-one meeting with these professionals, and this will happen congruently to the 2nd Year Portfolio Reviews.

Annual Classic: 2nd year portfolio reviews

After completion of pre-interior design curriculum (usually at the end of a student’s 2nd year), each student is invited to apply to become an interior design major and gain acceptance into the upper division of the interior design curriculum.

The upper division of the interior design curriculum includes challenging coursework and advanced design studios. The final two semesters of the program include an in-depth senior capstone project that requires a high level of applied research to a comprehensive, cumulative and unique design project.

Becoming an interior design major also means making a commitment to excellence and professionalism within the local and global design community.

This year, 2nd Year Portfolio Reviews will occur on May 20 during Design Portfolio Review Day. Each student will receive 20 minutes to meet with Interior Design faculty to review their design portfolio and discuss professional ambitions. Applicants will be notified by May 27 of decision and instructions for fall 2022 registration.

Please review the below eligibility and application requirements for consideration when applying. We look forward to your application.

Dates

April 1: Informational meeting on portfolio review process and criteria (Link PDF)

May 6: Deadline to submit application materials

May 13: Notification of application eligibility and invitation to schedule portfolio review

May 20: Design Portfolio Review Day & 2nd Year Portfolio Reviews

May 27: Notification of Acceptance via Email

Eligibility for 2nd year portfolio review

Inability to meet the minimum standard eligibility requirements will prohibit you from participating in portfolio review and moving onto the upper division of interior design courses.

  1. Successful completion of pre-interior design curriculum, including any pre-approved transfer credits from other institution(s). See full list of pre-interior design courses.
  2. Minimum of 3.0 cumulative GPA status in interior design courses, including Spring 2022 semester courses.
  3. Minimum of 2.5 cumulative University GPA, including Spring 2022 semester courses.
  4. Comprehensive interior design portfolio (submitted PDF documentation). See required portfolio contents below.

Application requirements

Application requirements must be submitted via the online Portfolio Review Portal by May 6.

  1. Completed application form
  2. Comprehensive portfolio

Portfolios must be no larger than 20 MB and maximum of 20 pages.

Your portfolio should represent your best work and individual excellence as a designer. Any non-digital work (drafting, model, renderings, sketches) should be scanned (or photographed if model) and edited appropriately for inclusion in your portfolio.

In addition to showcasing your design skills and competencies, the design of your portfolio itself should echo your identity and graphic sensibilities, so please consider the portfolio a design showcase on its own. Please include the below points in your portfolio:

  • Cover page that minimally includes your first and last name, ‘Spring 2022,’ and ‘2nd Year Portfolio Review.’
  • Title page that includes your interior design personal statement. An interior design personal statement can include, but not limited to: design interests, intended design direction, manifesto, description of your design identity, design process and ambitions.
  • Resume that includes professional and/or job experiences, community involvement, extracurricular activities, affiliations, and review of skills and proficiencies.
  • Curated selection of your design work that demonstrates competencies in the evaluation areas provided on the attached Portfolio Review Evaluation Rubric.

Day-of-logistics

By May 13 you will receive notification that your application has been selected for review on May 20. Each review will be 20 minutes in length and take place in-person. The review location will include a conference table where you can showcase your printed portfolio to faculty reviewers.

There will be a variety of interior design faculty present throughout the reviews, including previous professors who can speak to your professionalism, growth, development, design curiosity, work ethic, and classroom conduct, in addition to 3rd and 4th year professors who will provide objective evaluation based on your application materials, discussion with you during the review, and you potential to succeed in the upper level courses.

The faculty review team will have fully reviewed your digital portfolio submission and application materials ahead of time in preparation to have meaningful discussion with you.

Registration for 3rd year courses

By May 27 you will receive a decision letter via email. You will notice a change from ‘pre-interior design major’ to ‘interior design major’ in your DegreeWorks, which will allow you to self-register for 3rd year courses.