For graduates, students and early-career architects
Is your portfolio ready for your next application? A 30-minute review with our architects
- Emerging Architects
The Portfolio Review Sprint is a 30-minute video call in which one of our architects reviews the portfolio you already have, with one goal: a portfolio that gets you the interview. You share your screen, we go through it with you, and you come away knowing what to change first.
£69 incl. VAT · paid when you book
Who it's for
- Graduates applying for their first job in practice.
- Part 1 and Part 2 students looking for a year-out placement or their next position.
- Early-career architects applying for a new role.
The decision: Which portfolio do I send, and what should I change first, before I apply?
Why a review from us
We see applications every day, and the patterns of strong and weak portfolios are clear. Most portfolios are judged in the first minute: what reviewers see on the first pages decides whether they read on.
Before co-founding blng studio, our founders worked at Zaha Hadid Architects and Heatherwick Studio. We've taught at the Architectural Association and the Bartlett (UCL) and run workshops at ETH Zurich, so we know what students go through and what practices look for. The review is ours; it isn't connected with those practices or schools.
The review is feedback on your portfolio. It isn't a guarantee of a job or an interview.
What you get
For £69 incl. VAT: a 30-minute video call with one of our architects, focused on your portfolio and the practices you're applying to, with live, direct feedback on what to change first.
How it works
- Book and pay for your call. Pick a time; the £69 incl. VAT is paid when you book.
- Have your portfolio open: whatever version you would send with an application. There's no need to send us anything beforehand.
- Share your screen on the call.
- Live feedback. Our architect walks through your portfolio with you and tells you directly what to change first.
What we look at
- Structure: the order of your projects and how the portfolio opens and ends.
- Project selection: which projects to lead with, which to cut, and what's missing for the practices you're targeting.
- Narrative: whether each project's story is clear: the question, your idea and your role.
- Layout: hierarchy, image choice, text and consistency across pages.
- Length: what to keep for the application and what to save for the interview.
- The first minute: what a reviewer takes from your first pages, and whether it makes them read on.
What it isn't
- Not a job guarantee. It's feedback to make your portfolio stronger; the hiring decision is the practice's.
- Not a redesign. We don't lay out or edit your portfolio for you; you make the changes.
- Not a recruitment service. We don't put you forward to practices.
Want to check it yourself first? Our free one-page self-check covers the same ground.
Fee
£69 incl. VAT for the 30-minute video call, paid when you book.
FAQ
Do I need to send my portfolio beforehand?
No. You share your screen during the call and we react to your portfolio live.
What format should my portfolio be in?
Any format you can share on screen. A PDF is fine: ideally the version you would send with an application.
Can I bring a portfolio that's still in progress?
Yes. An unfinished portfolio is often the best time for a review, while changes are easy to make.
Who reviews my portfolio?
One of our architects at blng studio.
Will this get me a job?
We can't promise that, and no one honestly can. The review shows you what to change first so your portfolio gives you the best chance with the practices you're applying to.