ENTRANCE APPLICATION
for GRAPHIC DESIGNEffective Spring 2025
The entrance application for the BFA with emphasis in graphic design in the School of Art and Design at Western Carolina University consists of a pre recorded video interview and a portfolio.
All Entrance applications are reviewed once a year in February.
The next review will be February 7, 2025.
Read through the following guidelines before starting.
If you have any questions about creating or submitting your portfolio, you can email johl@wcu.edu.
This Entrance Application and Portfolio is NOT for transfer students or high school seniors. If you are interested in enrolling or transferring into the program you should contact John Seefeldt at jseefeldt@wcu.edu
VIDEO INTERVIEW
In a recorded video no longer than 3 minutes, verbally answer the following questions. Your video must reflect professionalism and your intent be in the design program.
Create a free account with Loom to record your interview. After recording your interview , copy and paste the share link into the interview field in the application form ( How to share from Loom Link ).
Questions:
1) Describe an art or design project that you are proud of. Why do you think the project is successful? Are you proud of the process or the final outcome or both? What was your favorite part of completing the project? Include the project in your portfolio if possible.
2) Explain an art or design project that you struggled with or did not go as planned. If you encountered difficulties, how did you solve them? In hindsight, what would you do differently based on what you know now? Include the project, or documentation of the project in your portfolio if possible.
3) Describe your creative process in one word. Explain or show why you chose that word.
4) Please describe how you define the broad field of design.
5) What made you decide to apply to the program?
PORTFOLIO CONTENT
For current WCU Students who have taken foundations classes at WCU. Use large,
high-quality images and include the following information with each image.
-Project title
-Project size
-Project date
-Material, medium, or software used.
-1 sentence project description
-Class name and professor
SAVE your PDF portfolio file as: LastName-FirstName-Portfolio-Design.pdf
Portfolio content guidelines:
1. All projects from 2D Design (ART 132)
2. Two projects from 3D Design (ART 142)
3. In addition to the above content, include a minimum of 6 additional projects or drawings that have been completed in the last 3 years. We are looking for evidence of interest in design, attention to craft and detail, and use of creative thinking.
Drawing recommendations:
Drawings from direct observation. These drawings should demonstrate a knowledge of perspective, volume, spatial relationships, and composition. Drawings can be any physical or digital medium. Drawings must have been completed in the last 3 years.
Examples of other possible projects:
Other possible projects include but are not limited to animation, video, comics, sketchbook work, 3D design, sculpture, painting, collage, and interactive work. Work should not include any existing copyrighted or intellectual property (this includes fan art). In a portfolio, we are looking for evidence of interest in design, attention to craft and detail, and use of creative thinking.
FOR STUDENTS REAPPLYING TO THE PROGRAM
If you have previously applied to the program but were not accepted, we recommend updating your portfolio with new work. In this case, you should submit 10-20 images of work that demonstrates interest in design, attention to craft and detail, and use of creative thinking. The work included in the portfolio should have been completed in the last 3 years. It can include personal and/or school projects.
Building your Digital Portfolio
- If you are looking to add to your portfolio, research personal graphic design project ideas online.
- Use high quality images and photograph your artwork against a white background. Using white poster board or a large sheet of white paper is effective.
- To increase light in your photographs, photograph your work outside on a sunny day around noon to avoid intense shadows. You can also photograph your work inside next to a large window.
- Stand on a chair or step ladder to photograph your work from above. Avoid photographing 2Dwork at an angle. Using white poster board or a large sheet of white paper is effective.
- When photographing your work instead of zooming in on your camera or phone, move the camera as close to the artwork as possible to fill the screen and then take the photo.
- After you have taken your photos, you can slightly adjust brightness, contrast, and levels in any photo editing program.
- Crop your photos to only show the artwork and remove any background, mat, or frame.
- Proofread for any spelling or writing errors.
- Avoid including any colored backgrounds or additional decorative elements on digital slides which may distract from the image.
Saving and Submitting
SAVE your portfolio file as: LastName-FirstName-Portfolio-Design.pdf
SUBMIT your PDF portfolio and interview link by using the apply link below.