Royal College of Art /
REF Submission
Making research visible, coherent and ready for assessment.
I led the production of more than 120 academic portfolios for the Royal College of Art’s submission to the Research Excellence Framework.
Big idea.
The REF shapes future research funding and reputation across UK higher education. For the RCA, the challenge was to present a diverse body of practice-based research in a way that met rigorous assessment requirements while making each researcher’s contribution clear.
The college needed a consistent digital system capable of representing work across fine art, design, healthcare, biodiversity, sustainability and more.
Simply told.
I led the compilation and design process across the RCA’s four schools and multiple research centres.
Working with academics, deans, designers, proofreaders and external contractors, I managed a streamlined production process for more than 120 portfolios. I ensured each output met required standards while contributing to a coherent institutional submission.
Lasting impact.
The RCA submitted a structured, consistent digital portfolio for a nationally significant assessment process.
The work also created a digital repository that could help the college communicate the impact of its research more widely once REF results were published.
REF2021’s submissions required supporting portfolios to be submitted in addition to a short description for assessment. This was the first time all portfolios were to be submitted digitally and the RCA wanted a consistent way to give panelists a way to identify submissions from the college.
Working with Studio Ard, alumnus of the RCA, a new template was created to meet the RCA’s objective of being able to present a consistent submission from the college as a whole.
The pages of the PDFs were laid out as if you were reading a book.
The design was flexible enough so each portfolio felt unique when reading.
Content was curated so the two pages worked together.
The layout enabled the work to shine.
The PDFs created a digital repository for the RCA. This enabled the college to share the impact of their research with the wider world once the REF results are announced.