Ideas for Portfolio (v. important)

[Rah Gwahn]

I have an interview for a course at a top University in the UK, Loughborough. They only accept 35 students average, which is a fucking seriously jewish amount.

I'm good to go, I know my stuff impressively well, what little work i've got is up to scratch and to a top level, my sketchbooks are pretty full and handy, and i'm confident about it.

But

My portfolio is pretty generic and it's quite small at the moment, so I need some unique ideas that other applicants won't have. And I need to pull them off well.
The ideas need to be (although I hate to say it) pretty much entirely based on the computer, seeing as how I don't have time between now and the interview to get gritty with manual work.

By unique:
I mean ideas that other people straight out of college education won't have. On UK college courses for Graphic Design most of the curriculum is set work, so pretty much EVERYBODY in the country will do a Corporate Identity project, all will do typography projects, all will do this and all will do that.
I need ideas that are different and interesting, I'm hoping some of you guys can make some decent suggestions so I can shit something out in Photoshop and mount it up.

I'm thinking of just doing some digital art involving graffiti or something to personalise the folder. But that won't really help on it's own.

Talk now

[Rah Gwahn]

Guess not hey lol, bump.

[P. Mortuus]

try making a new logo for the university your visiting...

[Rah Gwahn]

Hmm, that's a smart idea actually but it would take quite a while man, a week minimum with the research involved - because obviously it would be a definite talking point if they saw it so i'd have to provide sketchbooks on it.
I only have tomorrow night to get something done, I was hoping for more of a single project idea, like a piece of digital art or something.

[BootyLover]

Are they looking for someone who can create a variety of solutions
to problems or some with a particular refined style?

[Rah Gwahn]

Most likely a variety of 'personalised' solutions to a problem. It's one of the highest respected Uni's for this course in the country, they accept 35 people average so i'm cutting it with the best at that interview.

I got the interview date which is at 11am this thursday, which basically means I've got just over a day to go into college tomorrow and wednesday and shit out a load of work to fill my portfolio. I need to do something impressive, unique and effective by tomorrow night that I can mount by wednesday.

I've got enough work to show that I can tackle a problem effectively, I'm really looking for something that I can do to show a personal interest/style, I was going to rework a popular magazine ad that's kicking about in the UK and make it my own, yet just as effective. But that'll take up pretty much my entire day tomorrow and i've got other things I need to do on top of that so I'm not sure.

[BootyLover]

It would be ineffective for someone to recommend you a style...

Since creativity is generally achieved by blending existing things
in an unique way, you should look for inspirations for you to come
up with a new style based on.

I had a similar problem since I was doing so many different things,
i.e. vector style, dark art style, cartoons, comic book style,
airbrushing, digital painting, etc... I would many styles and enjoyed
learning new things so much I had trouble picking out what to include
in my portoflio and developing my own unique voice that's unified.

[Rah Gwahn]

I get what you mean, I just hoped there would be an interesting project I could go about - not so much a creative style. That way I could tackle the project in my own style and let my own voice come through into it naturally.

Regardless, I had the interview - I didn't get anything extra done towards my portfolio but considering they have 6 places left, they seemed very impressed.
"We've seen what we need to, I mean, for being at your level (of education) this work is very 'achieved' in it's own right. I think you're alot more advanced than other students your age"
Is pretty much what he said.
They also loved my views on social-clotting, conformism, religion and segregation haha, I think I've probably left a very decent impression. I'll find out in a couple of weeks whether I got the place or not.

[BootyLover]

Cool, good job!