Show you’re motivated and creative in a personal statement that will act as a written accompaniment to your portfolio. Admissions tutors would like to know about you, your inspirations, your aspirations, and innovations – and why they make you suited to a graphic design course.
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Think about why you want to study the subject
- Have you been inspired by someone, a news story, a documentary, or a podcast?
- Do you have career aspirations in this area of study?
- What interests you about the subject – be specific; rather than saying you enjoy it or are good at it, try to explain the ‘why’ behind your reasoning.
- What do you already know about the subject and what are you looking forward to learning more about?
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What makes you suitable to study the subject?
- Have you done projects or essays in this subject at school or college?
- Think about who you are as a person; your personality, your strengths, your experiences in life – how do these make you suited to study the subject?
- How have you shown an interest in the subject outside of school or college – have you done extra reading, online courses, been part of clubs or competitions?
- Your current subjects and grades will be included elsewhere in your application, so try to think about specific things you’ve learned during your studies that relate to the subject, rather than listing your grades and subjects.
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Look at the bigger picture
- Have you done any work experience, an internship or had a part-time job in this subject area or related? Most job or work experience will give you transferable skills, even if it’s in a different industry.
- Do you have any hobbies you can mention that might relate to your chosen subject? Many hobbies show that you can be motivated outside of school to achieve and succeed in something you’re interested in.
- Think about how your life and personal experiences have helped make you the person you are today, and how these challenges and experiences can support your application by evidencing essential qualities for certain subjects.
- If you’ve got ambitions and goals for your life and career, can you express how this subject will help you reach these goals?
Guidance and examples you can use
Question 1: Why do you want to study this course or subject?
This is your opportunity to showcase your passion and knowledge of your chosen subject area and to demonstrate to universities and colleges why it’s a good fit for you and your future ambitions.
Examples:
- What interests you about graphic design, and is there an area you’re particularly fascinated by, such as script typography or virtual reality (VR) design? Can you explain where that interest comes from, such as marketing you’ve seen on social media, or a VR exhibition you’ve been to?
- Have you been inspired by a designer you follow, a book you’ve read, or an exhibition you’ve seen? Perhaps you’ve been to a graphic design exhibition or attended an event because of the clever way the poster was designed. Critique what you liked about it.
- Mention where you might like to take this subject as a career, whether you want to work in education, marketing, business, or the charity sector. There are many opportunities to choose from!
Question 2: How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
This is your chance to shout about the relevant or transferable skills you’ve gained from your formal education and highlight your understanding of how they will help you succeed in this subject area.
Examples:
- Can you highlight any projects or coursework you’ve done that’s relevant to your course, whether a piece of art, design or photography? Describe what you learned from carrying out that piece of work.
- Showcase your creative thinking and originality. Perhaps you designed the cover for a school magazine or show – was there anything you did differently with the font, texture or layout? Think of the skills you’ve gained too, like independent thought, critical thinking or challenging perceptions.
- Have you been involved in exhibitions or done any voluntary work that’s further developed your understanding of graphic design? You might have designed a poster for a charity or community event, or overseen social media graphics for an organisation. Expand on what you learned.
- Have you done any online courses to boost your knowledge in the subject? For example, why not try Subject Spotlights or Virtual Work Experiences from Springpod to grow your skills and interest?
Question 3: What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
This is your chance to talk about any other activities you have undertaken outside of your formal education, or personal experiences which further demonstrate your suitability for the course. This section is likely to be highly personal to you and anything you do include should reflect on why you’re including it.
Examples:
- Think how you can show you’re ‘culturally, ethically and historically aware’, perhaps through a film or book club you’re part of, newspapers you read, evening classes you attend, or volunteering you do within the community.
- What hobbies do you enjoy and what do they say about you? They may relate to graphic design, for example designing a poster for a local event, or they may show other attributes such as perseverance when completing a project, whether on Minecraft or when learning a musical instrument.
- Can you demonstrate your flexibility and openness to new ideas and ways of working? That might come from part-time jobs you’ve done or a change in personal circumstances such as moving schools. How will this help you think in an innovative way on a graphic design course?
- Do relate any examples back to the subject you’re applying to – make it relevant
- Do make it personal – admissions staff want to get to know who you are
- Do use a spell-checker and grammar-checker to ensure there are no errors
- Do ask people for feedback, whether that’s family members or teachers
- Do your research to find out what universities are looking for, and make sure you include evidence to show how you are suitable for the course
- Don’t just list out examples, subjects you study, or experiences you’ve had without any evidence
- Don’t copy something you’ve seen online or use AI to write something for you
- Don’t make things up just because you think they’ll make you look good on paper
- Don’t leave it until the last minute – you need time for several drafts
- Don’t worry about making each section the same length; as long as you hit the minimum character count, you can use the 4,000 characters across each answer in the way that suits you best
How to set yourself apart
The key to setting yourself apart in your application is to remember how important the ‘personal’ bit is to your personal statement. What makes you, you?
Admissions tutors are looking for people who are prepared to be bold and ‘challenge the status quo’. Perhaps you’ve subverted a genre in your artistic work somehow, or you’ve supported a cause you believe in. Show tutors you’ve got the creativity and innovation needed for a graphic design course.
You can also expand on techniques you’ve learned, whether that’s Lino or screen printing in art, and how that can translate into graphic design. Or maybe you’ve picked up some early business skills by designing and printing T-shirts, and selling them online.
You could also reference culture you enjoy, and how you’ve used those influences. Perhaps you watched animated documentary film Flee, which has inspired your own work or made you help a refugee charity with its graphic design for social media.
Reference any designers you enjoy and publications you read that have expanded your knowledge, such as Stefan Sagmeister, Design Week or Creative Review.