Every year, thousands of students begin building their art school portfolio by asking the same question: "What projects should I put in?" It seems like the obvious place to start. Collect your best drawings, add some paintings, perhaps include a few digital pieces, arrange everything neatly into a PDF—and surely that is what universities want. But here is the surprising truth: An art school portfolio is not simply a collection of your best work. In many ways, it is not even a

A practical guide to understanding portfolio projects—so you stop guessing and start presenting your work clearly.

A student preparing her fashion design application portfolio