Ryerson Portfolio Admission

 1
 
PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION CRITERIA:
 
1) Portfolio Content
 
All applicants must submit or present a non-returnable portfolio of personally produced, graphic
or visual work.
 
DO NOT INCLUDE ORIGINAL WORK – inexpensively reproduced drawings, digital photographs,
reductions, and photocopies are acceptable and desired.  Digital design work must be submitted
as a hard copy – please do not send slides or CDs.
 
The purpose of the portfolio is to demonstrate visual talent and skills.  Your ability to express
yourself visually is an important part of the review process.  You may include school assignments
as well as work completed on your own.  YOUR ABILITY TO DRAW WELL IS ESSENTIAL and
should be demonstrated in a variety of forms.  You will be judged on creativity, originality and
your potential to complete the 4-year program.  Organize your portfolio to include:
 
• A variety of work demonstrating your 2D and 3D potential (may be in a variety of media).  Aim
for quality rather than quantity in selecting work.  There should be no more than 12 examples
of personal work including the three mandatory items listed below.
 
• All work shall be neatly assembled in an 8 ½” x 11” portfolio, stapled on the top left side of the
page. Please attach the COVER & DECLARATION FORM to the front of your portfolio
submission.  The Cover & Declaration Form can be found after the Design Test below.
SUBMITTALS NOT ADHERING TO THIS SIZE REQUIREMENT WILL NOT BE REVIEWED.
Do not use plastic sheets nor place your work in any type of binder and please do not mount
your work on card stock nor bind your submission with anything other than a staple.
 
The portfolio must include all of the following three items:
The following three items must be in black and white:
• A freehand drawing of a staircase;
• A freehand drawing of a collection of organic material (e.g., leaves, pods);
• A freehand drawing of a tubular structure (e.g., bicycle, metal chair).
 
You MUST incorporate the following into your work:  pencil, ink and colourmedia.
1. Label all work with your name, date, when work was executed, media used and original size.  
If the item was a course assignment, identify the course and summarize the assignment.  
This information should be conveyed in a statement of a maximum of twenty-five words.
2. A cover page with your name, your Ryerson University reference number and complete
contact information (e.g., address, telephone, email).
 
The following guidelines have been established to assist applicants in selecting additional
samples of personal work for the portfolio:
 
• Include other examples of drawings, artwork, photography, or anything else which may
demonstrate visual abilities.  Graphic, architectural or industrial design work may also be
included;
• Include work for course assignments (if any) as well as work completed independently;
• Avoid extensive submissions of mechanically drafted drawings or computer drawings.
 
 2
 
2) Personal Essay – Only for those applicants who live more than a 400 km
radius outside of Toronto and are mailing in their submissions:
 
The portfolio submission will also include your personal essay with the following information:
 
• A two-page word processed essay answering the question: “Why do you want to be an
Interior Designer?”
 
NOTE:  This is your opportunity to convince the committee of your seriousness and the
appropriateness of your studying at Ryerson University.  Think this assignment through carefully.  
The essay should include a description of your background, your intended career goals and
educational objectives.  It should represent a clear and accurate picture of you as a person, your
talents and abilities with an indication of how attending The School of Interior Design will help you
to fulfill your goals.
 
3)  Design Test – Only for those applicants who live more than a 400 km radius
outside of Toronto and are mailing in their submissions.  The Design Test is included on
Page 3 of this document.
 
Students sending in a mail-in submission should include a small photograph of themselves
(passport type).   Other students are encouraged to bring one to the interview.
 
PLEASE SEND YOUR PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION TO:
Mailing Address:     Courier Address:
Ryerson University     Ryerson University
The School of Interior Design    The School of Interior Design
Portfolio Selection Committee    Portfolio Selection Committee
350 Victoria Street     302 Church Street
Toronto  ON  M5B 2K3     Toronto  ON  M5B 1Z5
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3
 
       
 
 
DESIGN TEST
 
This test is only for those applicants who live more than a 400 km radius outside of
Toronto and are mailing in their submissions.
 
o TIME ALOTTED: 6 HRS. (ON YOUR HONOR)
 
You are being asked to design a sculptural form that invites the interaction of young
children. The play structure will draw its inspiration from letter, numeral and simple
geometric forms and should be designed in such a way that children can climb on, around
and inside the structure. Use colour so that it will complement the structure and
communicate a sense of play.
NOTE- do not just make a conventional playground.
DESIGN CRITERIA
1) Document and submit your design process (i.e. concept drawings and photographs –
photographs used for your research), your three-dimensional exploration, studies, and 3D
form development in the models (i.e. we want to see the iterations in the process), etc.
 
2) Build a final model (full colour) 1/2” =1’, set it on a base and include a child’s figure to
represent the scale of the model. Photograph the model from four different views for
submission.
 
3) Submission size: bound in a 8 ½” x 11” format.  There is no limit to the number of pages
or the type of paper used.  
 
4) Please provide a written description and rationale for your concept and include it with
your submission.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
WE WILL MARK YOU ON THE FOLLOWING:
 
 DESIGN PROCESS   25%
 
 DRAWING/COMMUNICATION SKILLS               25%    
USE OF COLOUR                                                                  25%
 
3D FORM DEVELOPMENT     25%
 
TOTAL    100%
 
YOUR WHOLE PROCESS MUST BE SUBMITTED, (I.E., NOTES, ROUGH SKETCHES,
IDEATION, AND FINAL SOLUTION).
 
 
 
 4
 
 
 
Non-Academic Requirements Cover and Declaration Form
 
 
STUDENT INFORMATION
 
 
Surname   __________________________________
(as it appears on application)
 
First Name  __________________________________
(as it appears on application)
 
 
Ryerson ID #   __________________________________
 
   
Program Name __________________________________
 
 
E-mail Address __________________________________
 
 
Phone Number __________________________________
 
 
 
 
My signature below indicates that all aspects and submissions are true and
accurate and have been prepared by me.  No relevant information, academic or
otherwise has been withheld, otherwise my admission to or registration at
Ryerson University may be revoked.
 
 
____________________________________________________
Signature        Date