Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1975 - 23

STANDARDS FOR DESIGNER'S PORTFOLIOS
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

LAWRENCE L. GRAHAM, U.S.A.A.

© 1975 by Lawrence L. Graham
Report of the Committee on Graphic Standards, Mr. Paul Camp, Chairman.
An Official Recommendation of the Performing Arts Training and Education Commission of the United States Institute
for Theatre Technology, Inc.

Statement by the Commissioner for Performing Arts Training and Education:
One of the purposes of the PATE Commission is to establisn and further professional standards for theatre designers
and technicians. The following position paper by Mr. Graham is fully supported by the members of the PATE Commission
and has undergone almost two years of extensive review and revision by that body. It is a recommendation for implementation, where possible, as an integral part of curricula and is the beginning of a set of recommended national standards for
theatre graphic communication.
James R. Earle, Jr.
Commissioner for PA TE
Professor Earle is 2nd Vice President of USIIT. Professor John Bracewell, Ithaca College, is the current Commissioner for
PATE. [Ed.]

It seems apparent that educational institutions offering design education programs should also prepare
their students to present examples of their work. Yet
adequate evidence of the education and experience of
young designers often does not exist. Such a situation is
detrimental to both the student and the institution.
When a student moves from one school to another
with no graphic evidence of his* abilities, his new teachers
are hardpressed to evaluate his work. Precious time is
lost before deficiencies are corrected or the brilliant
student challenged to the utmost of his abilities.
Young designers seeking employment often present
the most meager evidence of their accomplishments.
Employers are naturally reluctant to hire someone of
unproven abilities; or, after hiring him, disappointed to
discover his abilities to be something less than had been
supposed.
Institutions miss the opportunity to retain evidence
of the quality of their program. Photographic copies
of representative student work can provide a permanent
record of the school's work - both for purposes of
course evaluation and student recruitment - and as
an indication of the effectiveness of individual artistteachers.
The purpose of this proposal is to describe a set of
minimum standards that design students should be expected to meet. There will undoubtedly exist situations
where these standards may very well be exceeded, and
this may be particularly true at the secondary school
level where there is a considerable disparity in what
constitutes a drama program. Yet, portfolios can be
prepared by a student at an institution of almost any
size and type. Certainly not all of the work contained
in portfolios need be derived from formal classroom
instruction; students should be encouraged to undertake
independent projects apart from formal classroom instruction. It is hoped that the implementation of these
standards will effect the development of a number of
*The use of the male possessive pronoun is not intended
to imply a sexist attitude.

USITT

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imaginative programs in designer education.
The Portfolio
The work contained in a student's portfolio will
depend upon the student's academic level and his major
area of interest within the design field.
In all portfolios, each drawing should be adequately
identified; the name of the play, the playwright, the
name of the designer, the date the design was completed
and the scale used, if applicable.
In those instances when the design is actually produced, sufficient information should be given about the
producing agency, production facilities and the like to
allow an accurate evaluation of the work. For this pur22
may be
pose the simple suggested form on page
used.
Scene Designers
A t the high school level the student should be encou raged to keep a collection or scrapbook of his drawings,
sketches and renderings. Photographs of any work actually used in production should be included. Teachers at the
secondary school level should encourage design orientated
students to make up a portfolio or scrapbook and to be
prepared to show it to the teaching artists when entering
an undergraduate college program.
A t the completion of the bachelor's degree program a
scene designer should be able to present a small but
balanced portfolio with these minimum contents:
(a) Six matted renderings in color on board no smaller
than 15 x 20 inches or larger than 20 x 30 inches. Renderings should be in either transparent or opaque water
color (designer's color, gauche, casein, etc.) or both,
plus one other medium. The renderings should clearly
indicate the use of lighting in the design.
(b) Models or photographs of models might be included in lieu of as many as four of the renderings.
Models should be constructed to scale and fully rendered in color, and in a manner imitative of the painting
techniques to be used on the setting itself.
(c) Scaled floor plans for each rendering or model.

THEATRE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

WINTER,1975

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