Advanced GD Project 4: Senior Portfolio

The portfolio showcases students' actual work from their university experience. Many believe it is just a presentation, assuming their work is done. However, it involves design decisions, such as editing and sequencing. Arranging projects, documenting the process, and writing case studies that link decisions to goals — all are critical design challenges, equally important as the projects themselves.

Students are also required to produce two detailed case studies as part of their portfolio. These case studies clearly articulate the argument: explaining not only what was created but also the reasoning behind key decisions, the considerations and rejections involved, and how the project evolved from research to final resolution. Well-written case studies help students gain a deeper insight into their own process than they had before. Conversely, students who see them as mere descriptions of finished work overlook their purpose — a case study is meant to be a defense, not just a caption.

Strong portfolios belong to students who understand the whole thing as a statement: this is who I am as a designer, this is what I know how to do, and this is the standard I hold myself to. Weak portfolios show work. The