School of Art + Design: SlideRoom Instructions
The School of Art + Design requires students to submit a portfolio of creative work as part of the NJIT admissions process.
Portfolio Requirement for Submission via SlideRoom:
The School of Art + Design requires students to submit a portfolio of creative work as part of the NJIT admissions process. The portfolio will be looked at as only one of a number of factors when evaluating a candidate for admission, and in some instances, a strong portfolio may make the difference between being offered a place in the class and not being offered admission.
Portfolio Content and Format:
Any applicant (including all freshman applicants) using the Common Application must submit the portfolio through the integrated SlideRoom app. Transfer students may submit work with SlideRoom without using the Common Application.
Portfolios should have ten to twenty examples of work. Work must be creative – and created by the applicant. The portfolio may include examples of graphic design, architectural design, photography, furniture design, drawing (any medium or combination of media), painting, watercolor, film/animation, sculpture, etc. Samples of work created with a variety of media are welcome and encouraged, including recorded samples of performance art (e.g. acting, singing, dancing) even though the School of Art + Design programs are visual in their orientation. Creative written work like screenplays, poetry, or originally composed music, is also accepted but the portfolio must include primarily visual work.
There is a premium placed on good submissions over a variety of media for entrance to the School of Art + Design. In other words, do your best to submit more than one kind of project.
It is important that your work be viewed in the best manner possible. Towards that end, it is recommended that applicants take care when photographing and/or scanning work created with traditional media. Poor photographs or scans reflect badly upon the quality of work and may impact a reviewers perception of the portfolio.
Work created with traditional media (e.g. pencil drawings/sketches, acrylic or oil paintings, sculpture) should be scanned or photographed and included in the digital submission.
We are looking to be inclusive in the types of work accepted, but please do not include work from drafting or technical drawing classes that do not illustrate your creativity even if they include examples that demonstrate technical proficiency unless accompanied by a graphic analysis you created. Please do not include architectural work that mimics a house or structure you were simply required to document in a high school drafting class (but freehand onsite/field sketching is welcome). Similarly, please do not simply copy characters you’ve seen in graphic novels, television shows, or motion pictures. We are looking for the creative spark that motivates you. Do not send us everything you have done – use discretion in your submissions.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that the first file or image in your online portfolio contains your name AND the name of the program to which you are applying (Digital Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design).
It is essential that a description/identification be included for every project contained in the submission. Describe each work briefly (one to two lines) and include information about medium(s) used, the size of the original (if the submission is a scan or photo), the purpose of the work (class, personal, paid work, etc.), and your intent.
When you submit individual images or animation files, make sure that any file you save HAS the extension (e.g. .pdf, .jpg, .mpg) which are not always automatically added with computers running Mac Operating Systems developed by Apple, Inc.
- Single/still images should be saved in JPG or PDF format. Use minimal compression (maximum quality) when saving files to the extent possible in order to avoid unwanted visual artifacts that compromise the visual appearance of your work.
- Animations may be submitted in MPG and/or AVI formats.
The applicant is responsible for arranging the viewing sequence and is urged not to rely on default alphabetical file names. Above all, the work in the portfolio should be clear, easy to view, and represent you in the best possible way.