

So you’d like to work for Pentagram one day, but all you have so far is white space? Don't get off ya bike! Read on to learn the components of a winning graphic designer resume.
Whether you’re starting out as a graphic designer or you’ve had your run in the field, you know it’s insanely competitive.
Is that a good enough reason to accept defeat, remove Photoshop from your computer, or move to the Outback hoping for less competition?
Defo not!
You just need to learn the greatgraphic designer resume rules.
You know how proper alignment of elements is super important? Or that you use CMYK for print? Same applies here—and we happen to know exactly what the rules are.
Ready to find out, too? Good on ya, mate, let’s do this!
This guide will show you:
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Koby Tenison-Woods
Graphic Designer
(03) 5353 0863
koby.tw@email.com
linkedin.com/in/koby.tenison.woods
Summary
A self-reliant senior graphic designer with over 10 years of experience. At Artdraw, increased project delivery rates by 15%. Achieved a 100% client satisfaction rate at Outmatte. Eager to move creative teams forward and produce work that turns customers into loyal clients for FeastyTricks. An award-winning professional with a versatile client roster and a dedication to the team’s success.
Experience
Senior Graphic Designer
Outmatte, Brisbane
September 2017–March 2022
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Graphic Designer
Artdraw, Adelaide
June 2013–August 2017
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Education
Bachelor of Media (Visual Design)
University of Adelaide
2010–2013
Skills
Awards
Memberships
Member of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) since 2018
Languages
Here’s how you write a graphic designer resume, step-by-step:
Just as there are complementary colours that work great together, there are things that always look great on a resume (by the way, a CV and a resume are the same thing).
You know what doesn’t look great? Wrong formatting.
Oh, so you think using a template to write your resume is boring?
You think you’re expected to go all-in visually on your super creative graphic designer resume?
Let me stop you right there: ATS.
ATS are applicant tracking systems that hiring managers use to process massive heaps of resumes, and if yours doesn’t make it through, game over.
Leave it to your online portfolio to do the impressing, and let your resume do its job (which is to get you that interview).
Here’s the graphic designer resume format Golden Ratio:
Read more: What’s the True Purpose of Your Resume?
We’ve got the wireframe, let’s move on to the content.
The way you present your professional experience can go two ways: it’s either a hi-res beautiful image that takes your breath away, or it’s a blurry pic that hurts your eyes with the visible pixels.
That doesn’t even sound like a choice.
So how do you best describe your graphic design work?
Here’s what you do:
Why the quotation marks, you ask?
Oh, I can’t stress this enough, this is a very common resume-writing mistake! Your “responsibilities” should really be your achievements. They should be measurable, backed by numbers and stun the hiring managers by all the ways in which you can make their company a better place.
Have a look at these graphic designer resume samples:
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Senior Graphic Designer Outmatte, Brisbane September 2017–present Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
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Wrong |
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Graphic Designer Morningstar Creative
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The first one focuses on listing tangible resume achievements and—what’s even more important—the potential value for the employer. The second one? Just meh. A lot of people only emphasise what they did, but what they should stress is what they could do for the company they are willing to join.
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Junior Graphic Designer Outmatte, Brisbane June 2021–present Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
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Wrong |
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Junior Graphic Designer Outmatte
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No matter the level, you can either come off as a winner or a bludger. So if you’re compiling a junior graphic designer resume, seize the opportunity to show the hiring manager that you’re an asset: mention graphic design software knowledge, add numbers, soft skills or your successful social media projects.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Your portfolio and your experience may be doing the heavy lifting, but you still need to add an education section to your resume. Yes, even if your degree had little to do with graphic design, which is totally fine according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (some extra training will cover it). Maybe there was an art minor, an accredited technical course or a cool internship?
If you have multiple degrees, make sure to list them in reverse-chronological order. If there are relevant courses, programmes, or summer schools, do mention them too.
Rule of thumb here is to indicate the academic level and name of your degree, the institution and years of attendance (or expected graduation date for uni undergrads.)
If you don’t have a lot of experience yet, switch Sections 2 and 3 and show this one a bit more TLC. Include all your relevant coursework, honours and successes (key word here: relevant.) Use your best judgement, High Distinction or First Class Honours will definitely have more impact than Pass.
Have a look at this graphic designer resume example:
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Education
Bachelor of Media (Visual Design) University of Adelaide 2010–2013 |
Nice and clear, no gimmicks.
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Education
Bachelor of Design (Product Design) University of South Australia 2019-2022
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This shows how the candidate already managed to pack in some experience and even demonstrate leadership skills.
Pro Tip: If you think your resume should be built around education or skills, and not your work experience, you can consider going with other resume formats. This is to be used at your discretion, but keep in mind that reverse-chronological is the usual way to go.
Skills are there as placeholder text, you just have to write something basic, right?
Wrong!
Just like adding a stock photo won’t do much for your visuals, adding generic skills won’t grant you interviews.
But this section can become pure job-winning gold if you use it right. The secret sauce? Tailor the skills to the job description. This is how you can be sure the skills you’ve indicated will only work to your advantage—and will help you pass the applicant tracking system.
Use bullet points to list your skills and keep them short—you’ll always be able to elaborate as you write a cover letter for your resume (spoiler alert: you will have to write it.)
Here’s a list of skills to use as graphic designer resume inspiration:
Here’s an example of how your skills could be listed:
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You can see that it includes both hard and soft skills. Easy.
Read more: Great Skills to Add to Your Resume
Your resume is in 2D now—let’s add another dimension.
No need to be shy. This is your chance to show different sides of you and strengthen what you’ve stated above.
Maybe you went to a fancy conference that all cool graphic designers attend? Mention that.
Maybe you worked as a freelance graphic designer and had a gig that got a local community award? Do tell.
This is just the right place to display your accolades, certifications, publications, hobbies, or command of foreign languages. You didn’t spend all this time for nothing, so show it off.
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Awards
Memberships
Member of the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) since 2018
Languages
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Wrong |
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Interests
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This bit is pretty self-explanatory.
Pro Tip: Feeling adventurous? Wanna get a tad more creative and talk about your passion for all things crochet? Yeah, nah, don’t do that. Some things are better left unsaid.
No worries, we’re almost done. It’s just the most important part that’s left.
Let’s paint a beautiful picture: your resume made it to the top and landed in the powerful hands of a recruiter. How much time do you have to impress?
About 6 seconds.
Shocker, huh?
There must be a way to use those 6 seconds to the max.
And there is. You just have to optimise what the recruiter lays eyes on first.
There’s not much you can tailor within your personal info (just make sure your email looks professional, and the links are personalised if possible). However, you can be strategic with what comes next—and that’s your resume summary.
All you have to do is make it flawless.
Here’s what a graphic designer resume summary could look like:
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A self-reliant senior graphic designer with over 10 years of experience. At Artdraw, increased project delivery rates by 15%. Achieved a 100% client satisfaction rate at Outmatte. Eager to move creative teams forward and produce work that turns customers into loyal clients for FeastyTricks. An award-winning professional with a versatile client roster and a dedication to the team’s success. |
Wrong |
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A graphic designer with a lot of experience. A responsible team-player that adapts well to new conditions. Proficient in Photoshop and InDesign. Work well under pressure/deadlines, and don’t mind a fast pace. |
Which one would you like to be working for you? Which one could be literally anyone? Think of the summary as a saturated version of you as a professional. Numbers do count (pun intended).
See these entry-level graphic designer resume examples:
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Entry-level graphic designer striving to innovate. Proactive, result-oriented and willing to face a challenge. Volunteered to design the yearbook during the last year of uni, which appealed to 99% of the students. Seeking to apply meticulous attention to detail to projects within Artdraw, and to become a personable team member assisting the work of other professionals. |
Wrong |
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A beginner graphic designer who wants to learn something new. Have been photoshopping my sister’s Instagram photos for years. Possessing a good taste and nice sense of colour. Solid interpersonal skills. |
If you’re just entering the creative field of graphic design, you should write a resume objective. State what relevant experience you already have (and how it will make sense at the job you’re applying for), mention what you did at uni or what stunning results you achieved during an internship, what else you’d like to learn and why.
Same applies if you’re writing a resume objective for a career change. Focus on transferable skills and quantifiable results.
Pro Tip: Even though this section is placed higher up top, we recommend writing it last to avoid blank page terror and to help structure your ideas more thoroughly.
Submitting a resume with no cover letter is like sending a client a brand kit with just one item inside.
They expect more.
And if you want a fair go, you should live up to that expectation.
Look at this as an opportunity, not as a burden. Writing a cover letter gives you space to talk more about your experience, give more detail about something you deem important or explain that gap you had between jobs.
Some important tips on writing agraphic designer cover letter:
If you don’t know what the name of the hiring manager is, do your research on LinkedIn. Search by company name, then go through the list of employees. This will instantly put you ahead of the competition and their “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”.
Read more: What Is a Cover Letter and Why You Should Write It
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Let’s go through the steps towards the best graphic designer resume of your life one more time:
And that’s about it! These rules sure apply both to a full-time or a freelance graphic designer resume.
Thank you for reading, hope you’ve got the answers you were looking for. If you have any questions—do ask in the comments down under!
Unless it’s about what the next Pantone colour of the year is going to be—does anybody really know?
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