All AAS Art and Design candidates must submit a portfolio for evaluation by the FIT faculty, but DO NOT submit any slides or artwork with your application.

All BFA degree applicants will be contacted directly by the major department once academic eligibility has been determined by the Admissions Office. See What Are The Majors?

Click on your desired major to see the major’s specific portfolio guidelines. Clicking will open a new window. Close the new window to see other major-specific portfolio guidelines.

Accessories Design
Advertising Design
Communication Design
Computer Animation and Interactive Media
Fabric Styling
Fashion Design
Fine Arts
Graphic Design
Illustration
Interior Design
Jewelry Design
Menswear
Packaging Design
Photography
Textile/Surface Design
Toy Design
Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design

IN-PERSON EVALUATION
You will be emailed the portfolio information to your MyFIT account and scheduled for an in-person portfolio evaluation* after your SUNY application has been processed by the Application Services Center and forwarded to FIT. Please be patient and wait to receive this email. Please do not call to schedule a portfolio evaluation appointment.

MAIL-IN EVALUATION
*If you live more than 200 miles away and are unable to attend an in-person portfolio evaluation, you will be required to submit your portfolio by postal mail. You will be emailed instructions and an authorization form to your MyFIT account by the FIT Admissions Office after your application has been processed. DO NOT mail your portfolio until it is requested. Unsolicited portfolios will not be evaluated and will not be returned. FIT accepts no responsibility for unsolicited portfolio materials.

• Mail-In Guidelines:

  We strongly recommend that you submit color copies instead of original artwork. Photographs or slides in transparent viewing sleeves are also acceptable for all majors except Fashion Design. FIT accepts no responsibility for lost or damaged original artwork. The preferred size of color copies for all majors is 8.5” x 11” / 21 cm x 28 cm. The maximum size of color copies for all majors except Fashion Design is 11” x 14” / 28 cm x 35 cm. The mandatory size of color copies for Fashion Design is 8.5” x 11” / 21 cm x 28 cm. Do not roll or mat your artwork. Print your name and address on the back of each piece. Include a description list with slides.

  Please be aware that the following items are not acceptable for mail-in portfolios: portfolio cases or binders of any kind, art boards or mat, audio or videocassettes, computer disks or CDs (except for the Computer Animation major), sketchbooks, sculpture, jewelry, metal, glass, glass slides, garments, framed or canvas paintings, or any “3-D” items.

  We cannot accept packages with unpaid delivery, customs, or duty charges. Such packages will be refused delivery by FIT. Oversized packages or packages that exceed one pound in weight will be refused delivery by FIT.

TIPS ON PREPARING AN ART AND DESIGN PORTFOLIO
Although each Art and Design major at FIT has specific portfolio requirements and may require a Home Test, the following will help you prepare your portfolio.

Your portfolio should consist primarily of work done from direct observation, i.e. drawing and painting from what you see. These drawings might include self-portraits, still lifes, figure drawing, landscapes, or interiors. You should include work done in a variety of media like charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and acrylic and oil paints. We encourage you to include a sketchbook as part of your submission.

You should already have strong drawing and two-dimensional design skills, as well as an understanding of color and composition. Composition is very important; in many ways, it is at the heart of all of our Art and Design majors. For example, Interior Design is all about moving through a room and the relationship between one room and another. Communication Design concentrates the way your eye moves across the kind of graphic image used in advertising. Fashion Design is about the flow and movement of a garment on the body. Your artwork should reflect your understanding of how to move the eye across a piece of paper or canvas usingline and color, light and dark, balance and rhythm, all of which help form the concepts of design and composition.

While we encourage work from direct observation, we do not discourage any work that reflects your creativity and sense of design. Computer art may supplement your portfolio, but it should not be its main focus.

You do not need to purchase an expensive portfolio case to display your artwork, but your submission should be presented in a neat and professional manner. Let your art teacher help you make a selection from your most recent work. Consider your portfolio a visual essay about yourself, and don’t forget your sketchbook!

If you are a high school student, you may want to consider taking a class through our Precollege Programs. These courses are designed to help you develop a portfolio, let you experience what FIT is all about, and introduce you to the industries our majors support.

If you are out of high school and want some instruction in developing your portfolio, you may take a general art class through FIT’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies.