Graphic Designer Resume: Your Complete Guide

Graphic design is an ever-evolving, highly competitive field that lets you work in virtually any industry as you fine-tune your skills and bolster your technique. But if you are at the onset of your career and want to apply to jobs, you need a professional graphic designer resume that helps you catch a recruiter’s eye.

A professional, well-crafted resume is essential for securing a coveted position in the graphic design industry. And in many cases, it is the deciding factor that determines whether you get the interview and job.

In this article, we’ll delve into the specifics of crafting an outstanding graphic designer resume, exploring key components to include and providing tips on how to make your resume visually appealing without detracting from the content.

General Tips for Graphic Designer Resumes

Your resume is a canvas of your experience that highlights your desirability and potential. If you have the experience but don’t know where to start, look at the job description for hints. Try incorporating elements from the description into your resume, including essential keywords and skills.

Tailoring your resume to the job description displays your understanding of the role. It shows your ability to meet the specific needs of the employer. Incorporating important and relevant keywords from the job description and using a template from Rocket Resume helps you pass the Applicant Tracking System and may flag your resume for review by a hiring manager.

Since you are a visually oriented professional applying to roles that enhance brand image, your resume must reflect your skills without being flashy. Try to go with a clean design with appropriate and legible font and adequate spacing to enhance readability.

Don’t forget to highlight your experience and education and feature your most relevant or impressive projects, roles, and design-related qualifications. Remember that the goal is to prove you have the skills and knowledge an employer needs. You can include nuance in how well you structured the document instead of creating a design for the resume that won’t pass the ATS.

Essential Components of a Graphic Designer Resume Template

A proper resume should include the below sections highlighting your experience and skills. Always start with your most recent or present role and omit positions irrelevant to your field if you worked in multiple industries. However, if one of those roles includes experience in the position you are applying to, you can also include that. Here is an example of a simple graphic designer resume.

Jane Doe

Graphic Designer

(123) 456 -7890 JaneDoe@JaneDoe.com
Janesportfolio.com

Professional Summary

A curious and creative Graphic Designer with over 5 years of experience specializing in creating unique digital and print products and designs. Excellent command of Adobe Creative Suite and skilled in team collaboration and working independently. Seeking a position that helps me leverage design skills and creativity to contribute to innovative projects at ABCD Company.

Skills

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• InDesign
• Bootstrap
• Typography
• UI/UX Design
• Branding
• HTML/CSS
• Creativity
• Communication

Education

• B.A. in Graphic Design, ABCD University, Chicago, Illinois, 2016
• High School Diploma, ABCD High School, Chicago, Illinois, 2012

Experience

Graphic Designer, ABCD Graphics, Chicago, IL - June 2017 - Present

• Collaborated with the marketing team to create design strategies for online and offline campaigns
• Designed multiple websites for clients of varying sizes and requirements
• Created images, logos, brochure designs, and PowerPoint presentations for large and small firms
• Worked closely with clients to visualize their ideas and create design concepts to match their business aesthetic
• Managed multiple projects simultaneously and met deadlines on time or ahead of schedule
• Worked with a graphic design team to generate digital campaign visual assets.
• Worked on rebranding client websites, increasing average site traffic by 20%

Certifications and Licenses

• Adobe Photoshop Certification, Adobe, 2020
• UX Design Certification, ABCD Industries, 2019
• Graphic Design Pro Course, ABCD Institute, 2019

Tips for Writing Each Section of the Graphic Designer Resume Template

Now that you know what an ideal graphic designer resume layout looks like, it’s time to look into the specifics of each section to understand what information to include.

Crafting a Strong Header Section

The header is the first segment that the hiring manager reads. Rocket Resume’s templates let you put the basics down and format this segment professionally, so you don’t have to worry about appropriate font type and size.

In this section, write your full name in large font with your professional title below it. Add your contact info, professional email address, and relevant social media profiles like LinkedIn or your Instagram page.

Professional Summary or Objective Statements

Professional summaries are a way to pitch your skills and experience, summarizing your professional achievements. If you are a senior graphic designer, your professional summary should reflect your experience and the years you worked to reach your level. For example, you can write: “Detail-oriented, experienced Senior Graphic Designer with 10+ years of experience conceptualizing and creating award-winning designs.”

Try to focus on aligning your skills and experience with the job posting, if possible. For example, a senior graphic designer resume summary should highlight leadership experience and your history managing large-scale projects. On the other hand, an entry-level graphic designer resume should emphasize relevant coursework, internships, and a desire to gain knowledge and experience to refine your method.

Creating an Impactful Skills Section

The skills section highlights your technical and soft skills to recruiters. It is the part that Applicant Tracking Systems targets to see whether they match the job description. Your technical skills could include Adobe Creative Suite, HTML/CSS, and typography, while soft skills might include creativity and communication.

For a creative graphic designer resume, you can emphasize your proficiency in innovative thinking and ability to create new and original designs. A motion graphic designer resume sample highlights your skills in animation software or storyboarding. Your skills section should also reflect the requirements listed in the job posting.

More does not always mean better. List your skills using bullet points for easy scanning and readability, but remember to include those relevant to the job you’re applying for instead of all your skills.

Formatting the Education Section

The education section tells your employer how you received an educational foundation for your skills. When approaching this part, list your degrees in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent. For each, include the degree type and name, the institution’s name, and your graduation date.

Writing a Valuable Experience Section

Your experience section lists your past roles and tells potential employers what skills you have and how you applied them at work. The experience section should match the job requirements, like your skills.

Let’s say you have a freelance graphic designer resume. This resume should highlight projects demonstrating your ability to work independently, manage time efficiently, and deliver results that exceed client expectations. If you have a junior graphic designer resume, focus on collaborative projects or internships where you learned essential industry skills that you could apply in the company that interests you.

When formatting this section, use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments. Try to start each sentence in this section with a strong action verb and include how that action led to a result when applicable. The more succinct and packed with information each part of the experience section is, the easier it is to scan.

Showcasing Certifications and Licenses

Including relevant certifications and licenses demonstrates your commitment to professional growth and staying abreast of new techniques. Although they are not mandatory to gain acceptance, having them is a plus that increases your hiring chances.

How to Customize Your Graphic Designer Resume Template for Specific Jobs

For graphic designer roles, try to tailor your resume to fit the role you’re pursuing without going overboard. Whether you’re a freelance designer looking for new clients or aiming for a senior position in a corporate setting, customization is vital to showcasing your relevance in a highly saturated job market.

Because graphic design roles are so diverse, there are different ways to customize your resume for each one. For example, a fashion designer resume for creative graphic designers highlights your experience with apparel design, including your understanding of textile patterns and your keen fashion sense.

For an administrative graphic designer position, you can emphasize your experience with project management tools and your administrative skills alongside your design skills.

The format of your “resume for graphic designer” should showcase your skills and experiences in a clear, organized manner. A minimalist graphic designer resume could also serve well, emphasizing simplicity and readability while showcasing your design aesthetic.

Regardless of the resume title for graphic designer you aim for, remember to identify the skills in the resume for the graphic designer section in the job posting and tailor your professional summary, skills, and experience sections accordingly.

Additional Tips and Tricks for Crafting a Strong Graphic Designer Resume

Your resume must be precise and concise. Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or formatting inconsistencies sabotage your first impression. They can lead to rejection before they get a chance to meet you in person. And in the graphic design field, attention to detail is paramount for success.

Regarding the experience section, being specific and quantifiable catches the recruiter’s attention. You provide evidence of your impact by adding specific figures, effectively demonstrating your value to potential employers.

Rocket Resume helps you create a professional graphic design resume layout with templates to suit any position and personality. Instead of worrying about how it looks, simply input your information and Rocket Resume allows you to have a ready resume in minutes.

Always follow up after submitting your resume to underscore your interest in the position and keep you at the forefront of the hiring manager’s mind. But remember that you must also not overdo it. You should ideally wait a minimum of one week after the application deadline before sending a polite and professional follow-up email.

How to Apply for Graphic Designer Jobs

Applying for graphic designer jobs begins with preparing a compelling graphic designer resume that highlights your skills, experiences, and achievements. A well-crafted resume built from a graphic designer resume template from Rocket Resume can set you apart from other candidates. With Rocket Resume, you have thousands of templates to choose from, helping you find the best format for your new and improved resume.

The next step is to start seeking jobs. The most common way is using job portals or search engines. Use LinkedIn or other social networking sites. You can also look for jobs using their tools or by following the pages of popular graphic design companies.

If you are still unsure about formatting, consider looking at a resume graphic designer sample or graphic designer resume examples to get a sense of best layout, content, and design practices.

Don’t forget to tailor each application to the specific role by reflecting the language and requirements from the job description in your resume and cover letter. Once your application is set, submit it depending on the method requested by the employer.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to write a graphic designer resume?

To write a graphic designer resume, include your contact information and a compelling professional summary or objective statement. Tailor the skills section to the job you’re applying for, highlighting your most relevant technical and soft skills. Use the experience section to showcase your achievements, not just list your past roles. Don’t forget to include your education, relevant certifications, and volunteer or extracurricular activities.

What should a graphic designer resume look like?

A graphic design resume sample should be visually appealing and organized, with distinct sections including contact information, professional summary, experience, education, and certifications. Although it can have a touch of creativity, it should be easy to scan without too many embellishments. Those you can keep for your portfolio.

What colors are best for a graphic designer resume?

Sticking to neutral or muted colors for the main text, like black or dark gray is best. Your resume colors and design should not distract the recruiter and should focus more on who you are than what you can do as a designer.

What should be in a graphic designer resume?

A proper resume should have your contact information, objective, skills list, work experience and achievements, education details, and certifications. Try not to make the document too long to keep recruiters interested, and keep your examples in your portfolio.

What does a typical graphic designer resume look like?

A typical graphic designer resume should have a professional structure with clear section headings and bullet points. It should also include necessary information like contact info, a professional summary, skills, experience, education, a link to your portfolio, and certifications.

How to do a resume for a freelance graphic designer?

For a freelance graphic designer, your resume should showcase your projects and clients to show versatility. Highlight your achievements for each significant project and specify the types of clients you’ve worked with to help potential ones gauge whether you are the right person to help them with the job they need.

How designed should my resume be as a graphic designer?

As little as possible. Although your resume should reflect your design skills, design should never overshadow the content. Instead, try to go for a professional template from Rocket Resume that enhances readability. With so many graphic designer resume examples available, you can choose a format that works well with the image you project to the potential employer.

How to write a qualification summary for a graphic designer resume?

A good qualification summary highlights your skills, experience, and achievements and acts as an “elevator pitch” for your resume. It should include years of experience, proficiency with design software, certifications, and notable achievements.