Portfolio Requirements

FALL SEMESTER

Deadline: February 1

 To be eligible to apply, you MUST have an AAS degree or 60 or more earned credits towards a bachelor's degree in a related area of Art & Design. Refer to the Eligibility Page for more information.

If you are an internal applicant already enrolled at FIT, you must have 2D animations and 3D models in your portfolio before applying. The following courses are designed to help you prepare the required portfolio pieces, including digital design, 2D animation, and 3D modeling. Unless you have already taken equivalent courses or worked professionally in these fields before, you should consider taking these classes as requirements:

  • CG 271 - Design Fundamentals for Animation and Game Design

  • CG 272 - Narrative Animation Fundamentals

  • CT 220 - 3D Modeling for Animation and Game Design, CG 273 - 3D Fundamentals: Modeling, Rendering, Motion, and 3D Printing, or IL 102 Introduction to Digital Sculpting

Internal applicants are strongly encouraged to take, or at least register for, the following courses before portfolio submission:

  • CG 274 - Web-Based Game Development Fundamentals

An additional course that can support your portfolio preparation is CT201.

Applicants to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Animation, Interactive Media, and Game Design are required to submit a portfolio as part of their application to the program.

The evaluation of your portfolio will be based on the following criteria:

  • 2D animation skills
  • 3D modeling skills
  • Drawing and character design skills
  • Knowledge of programming and interactive design
  • Passion for storytelling and aesthetic sensibility

Recommendations:

  • Your portfolio should display passion for this field of study, technical competency, attention to detail, and a sustained commitment to digital media.

  • Your portfolio pieces should show original creativity. Do not submit software demo tutorials or exercise files.

  • Craft your portfolio to showcase your unique identity as a creative individual. 

  • Present the imagery and video that’s most important and meaningful to you.

FORMS

  • Short essays answering the following questions:

  • In 150 words or less, provide an example of when your point of view differed from a teacher's or employer's during an evaluation of your performance. How did you handle the situation?

  • In 150 words or less, identify an animator or game designer who has influenced your work. Cite specific examples of how this influence has shaped the portfolio that you submitted.

  • In 250 words or less,  please share with us a story of your experience learning a new skill or technology that is not required by your school or job.

PORTFOLIO

Please submit the following:

  • A portfolio of 15–20 projects/artworks. It must include 2–5 storyboards and/or character designs, 2–5 original game designs and/or concepts, 2–5 original 2D animations, and 2–5 original 3D models. Original means these projects should not be copied from others or taken directly from software demo files. You are encouraged to include additional projects in the area(s) of your interest. Other works, such as drawings, visual design, or videos, should emphasize storytelling, not observational still lifes or portraits.

  • You can submit images (up to 5MB each) or PDFs (up to 5MB each), and videos (up to 250MB each). For game design, you should provide a video click-through or a case study video. For 3D modeling, it is recommended to have a video showing the 360 view (turntable) of the model.

  • A project listing document that clearly identifies each submitted project title and file name, along with a brief description. Please also indicate whether your interests lie in animation or game design.

  • For projects or artwork completed for classes, please include the school, course name, assignment title, assignment duration, and any other relevant information you wish to provide. For personal or passion projects, include a brief explanation of the concept, process, and execution of the project.