Program
Last application date is 4 June

Advanced Portfolio

Take your portfolio to the next level at Berghs—ranked the Nº1 creative school in the world. This 15-week program is for junior creatives with an existing portfolio who want to refine their work, expand their portfolio and strengthen how they think, create, and solve problems in today’s fast-changing communication landscape.

Apply by
4 June
Start
31 August
End
11 December
Location
15 weeks full-time on site, in Stockholm
Fee
55 400 SEK excl. VAT
69 250 SEK incl. VAT

Download Application Task

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Through diverse briefs, coaching with industry professionals and hands-on work over 15-weeks, you’ll refine and expand your existing portfolio into a sharper, more defined body of work. Choose your focus: Copywriting, Art Direction, Design or Strategy, and refine your existing portfolio to have clear creative direction and strong industry relevance. At the same time, you’ll develop how you think, approach problems, and work creatively, building a process you can rely on beyond the program.

You’ll work the way agencies do, developing, presenting, and refining ideas through continuous feedback, including tissue sessions that mirror real creative workflows. Guest lectures add perspective on the forces shaping modern communication, from the polycrisis to sustainability. This program immerses you in an collaborative environment where you work in groups with strategists, designers, art directors and copywriters enhancing your ability to approach creative problems from diverse perspectives.

Throughout the entire program, you will receive portfolio coaching where your projects will be continuously reviewed, discussed, and shaped into a clear and compelling body of work.

The program culminates in a live client brief and pitch, followed by a final presentation of your newly refined portfolio to your peers and teachers. Throughout the program, you’ll be taught by active industry professionals, giving you direct access to current perspectives, real-world experience, and valuable networks.

This program runs twice per year. Once in the Spring (Feb - May) and once in the Fall (Sep - Dec).

INtro Week

The program begins with an orientation to Berghs, where you’ll meet your peers and be introduced to the school’s action-based learning approach. From day one, you start working on briefs—setting the pace and quickly moving from thinking to doing.

Module 1: Problem, Insight, Solution

Over five weeks, you work with a range of briefs, both in teams and individually, focusing on the core mechanics of creative problem-solving. You learn how to define the right problem, uncover meaningful insights, and translate them into clear, compelling ideas.

Generative AI is integrated into your process, supporting research, ideation, and rapid iteration, helping you test and develop ideas more effectively. The module is fast-paced and feedback-driven, building your ability to generate strong ideas consistently and take them from concept to execution.

The module concludes with Case Video Week, where you learn to craft and produce case films, an industry-standard format for presenting ideas clearly and convincingly.

Key skills:

  • Problem framing and insight generation
  • Concept development from idea to execution
  • Use of generative AI in ideation and iteration
  • Presentation skills, including case video production

INDUSTRY WEEK

During Industry Week, you step outside the classroom and into the professional environment. Through visits to leading agencies in Stockholm, you gain first-hand insight into how creative teams work, collaborate, and deliver ideas in practice while also building connections with industry professionals.

Key skills:

  • Understanding of agency workflows and roles
  • Insight into current industry practices
  • Professional context and expectations
  • Connections to the creative industry

MODULE 2: Deep-Dive Craft Module

During an intensive six-week period, you specialize in your chosen discipline—Strategy, Copywriting, Art Direction, or Design—through a mix of group briefs and individual assignments. The focus is on refining your craft, strengthening your core skills, and developing a clear creative direction.

Working both collaboratively and independently, you’ll build projects that reflect how creative work happens in practice. With guidance from industry professionals, you’ll receive targeted feedback to help raise the level of your ideas and execution.

  • Strategy You learn to analyse complex challenges, uncover insights, and define clear strategic directions that guide creative work and shape communication.
  • Copywriting You develop your ability to use language to express ideas clearly, creatively, and persuasively, translating strategy into impactful communication across formats.
  • Art Direction You strengthen your visual thinking and execution, creating conceptually strong and visually compelling work across channels, while integrating tools like generative AI into your process.
  • Design You refine your design practice, focusing on clarity, craft, and communication—translating ideas into effective visual solutions across platforms and formats.

Module 3: Impact

In the final module, you apply your skills to a real-world challenge. Working with mission-driven organisations, you develop strategic and creative solutions addressing social and environmental issues such as sustainability, education, and human rights.

You’ll work within real constraints, balancing creativity with effectiveness, and developing solutions that can be evaluated in terms of both impact and performance. This module brings together everything you’ve learned—resulting in a portfolio piece that demonstrates both your thinking and your ability to execute at a high level.

Key skills:

  • Creating solutions with measurable impact
  • Applying creativity to real-world challenges
  • Working with constraints and stakeholders

Portfolio Coaching

This module forms the core of the program. Through regular coaching sessions with your Program Director and ongoing feedback from industry professionals, you’ll define what you want your portfolio to communicate, and how you want to position yourself within the industry.

This is an iterative and highly individual process. You’ll test ideas, refine them, discard what doesn’t work, and build a stronger, more focused body of work over time. At the same time, you’ll strengthen how you present your new and past projects, learning to clearly communicate your ideas, process, and creative direction.

The focus is not only on creating strong work, but on shaping a portfolio that is relevant, intentional, and ready for a professional context.

You need more than a strong portfolio to succeed in the creative industry. Throughout the program, you’ll connect with industry professionals through guest lectures, agency visits, and direct feedback, building a network that supports your development and future opportunities.

At the same time, you’ll develop the skills and mindset needed to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving field. This includes learning how to work with generative AI as part of your creative process, using it to explore ideas, iterate faster, and enhance your output.

You’ll also engage with the broader forces shaping today’s communication landscape, from the polycrisis and misinformation to sustainability and cultural change, building the ability to create work that is both context-aware and impactful.

A key focus is learning how to learn: developing the ability to adapt, identify new opportunities, and continuously evolve your skills over time.

With this combination of practical tools, industry insight, and adaptive thinking, you’ll be prepared not just for your next role, but also for long-term growth in a constantly changing creative industry.

This program is for junior creatives who already have a portfolio and want to push it to a professional level. You may have a Master’s in communication, advertising, or design, or a few years of industry experience, and now want to sharpen your work and clarify your direction. It’s also suited for those looking to shift focus within the field, such as moving into art direction, copywriting, design, or brand strategy.

You should be comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative, feedback-driven environment, and be ready to question how you think, create, and collaborate.

Do I need any prior knowledge?

Depending on your chosen focus, we expect:

  • Art Directors / Designers to have a solid understanding of composition and relevant design tools (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Figma)
  • Strategists to be familiar with marketing and communication principles
  • Copywriters to have strong writing skills across different contexts

You should have an English level of CEFR B2 or higher. A formal certificate is not required, as your language proficiency will be assessed during the interview process.

How to Apply:

Click the "Apply" button to submit your application. Be sure to include:

  • CV
  • Completed Application Task
  • A personal letter explaining your motivation to be a part of the Berghs' Advanced Portfolio Program
  • A pdf or website url of your current portfolio

Based on an assessment of your application, you may be invited to an interview to assess your English level and judge your suitability for Berghs Advanced Advertising Program.

Admission to the program is based on a holistic assessment of your application task, CV, personal letter, and interview performance.

For Swedish and EU applicants, the Advanced Portfolio Program in Stockholm (15 weeks) does not require any visa.

For non-EU applicants, you will likely need to apply for a Residence Permit for Higher Education to attend the Advanced Portfolio Program at Berghs. Kindly note different visa conditions may apply depending on your citizenship.

We see AI as a tool to enhance our skills in communication, creativity, and innovation—always with humans at the center. At Berghs, we don’t teach what AI does; we teach how you can use AI to drive ideas forward, solve challenges, and create lasting value. Working with AI involves both opportunities and responsibilities, which is why it’s important for us to continue exploring AI development.

Read more about our AI policy: https://www.berghs.se/en/about/

Program Director

A grayscale portrait picture of Adam Springfeldt, smiling at the camera.

Adam Springfeldt is a former co-founder and ECD of ACNE Creative – part of the multidisciplinary collective that grew from a small Stockholm experiment into a Deloitte-owned agency across 10 European markets, working with the likes of IKEA, Netflix, Polestar, Byredo and the United Nations. The collective's entrepreneurial ambition extended beyond client work into own brands and products in fashion, film, publishing and toys – consultancy and entrepreneurialism in permanent, productive tension. Adam left in late 2023 to go independent – focusing on naming, brand language and ideas that matter for people and planet.

Testimonials

“One of the biggest takeaways from my time at Berghs was learning how to truly sell myself and communicate my value in a competitive industry.”

Imogen Comrie
Creative Social Media Manager
WARC
Imogen Comrie taking a picture of her reflection in a mirror.

“I think a unique opportunity that Berghs gives you is to work realistically and practically. You’ll get to learn in a setting that really mimics the way things work at agencies or in-house. ”

Line Jess
Brand Marketing Manager
Peak Performance
A grayscale portrait picture of Line Jess smiling at the camera

Questions about the program?


Contact us if you have any questions!

Porträtt bild av Andrea Kjelin

International Coordinator

Andrea Kjellin