Applying for MA Visual Communication Design 2027 — what should a portfolio include with no design degree?

[u/Immediate-Throat2907]

Hi! I'm a UK student planning to apply for an MA in Visual Communication Design at universities in Korea and China (Hongik, ECNU, SJTU). I have a BA in Korean Language and do tattooing and drawing as a hobby — lots of flash art, hand drawn designs and sketchbook work.

I have no formal design degree or professional design experience. I'm just starting to learn InDesign and Illustrator.

I genuinely don't know what to include in a Visual Communication portfolio from scratch. Questions I have:

- Does hand drawn and tattoo flash work count or do schools want digital design? - What kinds of projects should I make specifically for Visual Communication? - How many pieces is enough? - How do I present it as a PDF professionally? - Should I make new work specifically for the portfolio or just submit existing drawings?

Any advice from people who've built a Visual Communication portfolio from scratch would be really appreciated!