Graphic Designer Resume Example

Also called Visual Designer, Brand Designer, Junior Designer.

Your portfolio shows what you can make; your resume shows whom you made it for, how much you delivered and what it achieved. Keep it clean, readable and easy to scan.

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Opens in the builder with this text in place, ready for you to replace with your own.

What this example does well

  • The portfolio link is in the header, and the resume stays simple so the work speaks for itself.
  • The rebrand is tied to a business result, which most design resumes leave out.
  • Output per month shows she can handle volume as well as craft.

Updated

Zoe Martinez

Graphic Designer

Summary

Graphic designer with five years of experience in brand identity, packaging and digital campaigns. Designed the rebrand of a regional coffee roaster whose retail sales grew 35% the following year, and produces around 60 campaign assets a month for web, social and print.

Experience

Graphic Designer, Lone Star Creative Studio

Feb 2022 – Present · Austin, Texas

  • Lead brand identity projects for 12 clients a year, from logo and color to guidelines.
  • Designed a coffee roaster's rebrand and packaging; retail sales grew 35% the following year.
  • Produce about 60 digital and print assets a month for campaigns, all on brand and on time.
  • Present concepts to clients and turn feedback into final designs within agreed rounds.

Junior Graphic Designer, Congress Avenue Marketing

Jun 2020 – Jan 2022 · Austin, Texas

  • Designed social media graphics, emails and banner ads for retail clients.
  • Prepared print files for brochures, signs and trade show booths.
  • Retouched product photos and built simple motion graphics.

Education

BFA Graphic Design, Texas State University

2016 – 2020 · San Marcos, Texas

An example: Zoe Martinez is not a real person, and the details show the kind of thing to write rather than a real career. Shown in the Slate template. Words that postings for this job often use are marked in yellow.

How do you write a summary for a graphic designer resume?

Two to four lines at the top that say what you do, for how long, and what you are best at. Here is one for each stage of a career.

  • Entry level

    Graphic design graduate with a portfolio of brand, poster and packaging work, including freelance logos for four small businesses. Skilled in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign and quick to turn feedback into better work.

  • Experienced

    Graphic designer with four years of experience in branding, digital and print. Creates on-brand assets for campaigns, manages projects from brief to final files and works well with clients and copywriters.

  • Senior

    Art director with twelve years of experience. Leads a team of five designers, sets the visual direction for national campaigns and has rebranded three companies, each with measured growth afterward.

How to write a resume summary, with more examples

What are good bullet points for a graphic designer resume?

Each starts with a verb and says what was done. Change the details and numbers to your own; a number you cannot explain in an interview is worse than none.

  1. Designed brand identities, including logos, color palettes and guidelines.

  2. Created packaging for a product line sold in 200 stores.

  3. Produced social, email and web graphics for monthly campaigns.

  4. Prepared print-ready files for brochures, signs and packaging.

  5. Presented concepts to clients and refined designs from feedback.

  6. Kept every asset consistent with brand guidelines.

  7. Retouched photos and created simple animations.

  8. Managed several projects at once and met every deadline.

  9. Worked with copywriters and marketers on campaign ideas.

  10. Built templates that let the marketing team make simple graphics themselves.

Which skills should a graphic designer put on a resume?

Pick the ones the job posting asks for and that you can back up with an example from your work.

Hard skills

  • Brand identity design
  • Typography and layout
  • Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
  • Figma
  • Packaging design
  • Print production
  • Photo retouching
  • Motion graphics basics (After Effects)

Soft skills

  • Creativity
  • Taking feedback
  • Time management
  • Presenting ideas
  • Attention to detail

Licenses and certifications

  • Adobe Certified Professional

Which keywords belong on a graphic designer resume?

The words recruiters and applicant tracking systems search for.

  • brand identity
  • packaging
  • campaign
  • print
  • social
  • clients
  • concepts
  • logo
  • digital

Use the ones that are true for you, written the way the posting writes them, and put each where it shows something you did. A list of keywords with nothing behind it helps nobody. To keep them readable by software, choose an ATS-friendly template, and read how applicant tracking systems read a resume.

What should a graphic designer put on a resume?

The kinds of work you do, the clients or industries you serve, how much you produce and any results your designs achieved. Put the portfolio link at the top.

Keep the resume layout clean. Show your taste through type and spacing, not through graphics that make it harder to read.

Can a graphic designer use a creative resume template?

Yes, if a person will read it first, such as at a small studio. For larger companies that use applicant tracking systems, keep the text as real text in a clear order.

The example here uses Slate, which has a sidebar but keeps every word selectable and in order.

What do design employers look for in a resume?

  • Your portfolio does the convincing, so put its address in the header and make sure it opens without a password.
  • Describe the problem and the result, not only the deliverable. A redesign that lifted sign-ups says more than "designed landing pages".
  • Let the resume show your taste through spacing and type, and keep it readable by software: real text, one clear reading order.

All creative and design resume examples

Questions about a graphic designer resume

Should I include freelance work?

Yes, as one entry with the types of clients and projects.

Do I list every Adobe program?

List the ones you are strong in and that the job asks for.

Should I include a photo?

Not for US jobs. Let your portfolio show your personality.

How long should a graphic designer resume be?

One page.

Make this graphic designer resume yours.

Start from the example, swap in your own jobs and numbers, and switch to any template without retyping a word.

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