Graphic Designer Resume Example, Portfolio Tips

Your portfolio shows your design ability; your resume shows how you work. Hiring managers want to know which tools you use, the kinds of projects you deliver, who you work with and how your designs helped the business.

This example is for a graphic designer with five years of experience in agency and in-house roles. It uses a creative layout with a clear reading order. If you apply through large online portals, you can switch to an ATS-friendly template in the builder without retyping anything.

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Recommended resume format for a graphic designer

Reverse-chronological, one page. Put your portfolio link in the header, where it is easy to find. Keep the design consistent with your personal brand, but make sure the text is real text, not an image. Compare layouts on our resume templates page.

Graphic designer resume example

This example is fictional: the name, employers and numbers are invented to show structure and wording. It uses the Creative Professional template. Replace every detail with your own, truthful information.

Preview of the graphic designer example in the Creative Professional template.

Graphic Designer resume text

Noah Kim
Graphic Designer
noah.kim@example.com | (555) 025-3388 | Portland, OR | linkedin.com/in/noah-kim-example | noahkim-design.example.com

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Graphic designer with 5 years of agency and in-house experience in branding, marketing campaigns and digital design. Turns briefs into clear, consistent visual systems and works closely with copywriters, marketers and developers.

WORK EXPERIENCE
Graphic Designer | Feb 2022 – Present
Cascade Outdoor Co. | Portland, OR
- Design seasonal campaigns across email, social, web and in-store displays for an outdoor apparel brand with 40 retail partners.
- Created a brand guidelines system and template library that cut production time for social graphics by 50%.
- Designed packaging for a new product line that sold out its first production run in 6 weeks.
- Partner with the web team on landing page designs that improved email sign-up conversion by 19%.

Junior Designer | Jul 2019 – Jan 2022
Rosewood Creative Studio | Portland, OR
- Produced logos, print collateral and digital ads for 30+ small business and nonprofit clients.
- Prepared print-ready files and worked with printers to meet tight deadlines.
- Presented design concepts to clients and revised work based on feedback.

SKILLS
Design: Branding, Typography, Layout, Packaging, Illustration, Motion basics
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Figma, After Effects

EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design | May 2019
Pacific Northwest College of Art | Portland, OR

Start from this example in the builder, then replace the details with your own. It opens as a new resume saved on your device.

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Graphic designer resume summary examples

Describe your design focus, the types of clients or industries you work with, your key tools and how you collaborate. Keep it short so readers move quickly to your portfolio.

Brand designerGraphic designer with 5 years of experience building brand identities and campaigns for consumer brands. Creates flexible design systems that teams can use consistently.
Digital designerDigital designer specializing in social media, email and web graphics for e-commerce. Uses Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud and tests designs to improve engagement.
Print and packagingPrint and packaging designer with experience taking products from concept to shelf, including dielines, color proofing and printer coordination.
Junior designerDesign graduate with internship experience in a branding studio. Strong typography and layout skills, with a portfolio of logo, poster and packaging projects.

More ideas: resume summary examples.

Skills for a graphic designer resume

List design specialties and software separately. Include the tools named in the posting that you use confidently, and avoid skill bars or ratings that cannot be measured.

Design skills

Brand identity
Typography
Layout
Color theory
Packaging design
Print production

Digital

Social media graphics
Email design
Web graphics
UI basics
Presentation design

Software

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Figma
After Effects
Canva

Collaboration

Creative briefs
Client presentations
Feedback and revisions
Project management tools

See the resume skills guide for how to choose and present skills.

Graphic designer experience bullet point examples

Design results can include speed, consistency, sales, engagement, conversion rates or client wins. Name the medium and audience so readers understand the project.

Redesigned a nonprofit's annual report, contributing to a 22% increase in donations after its release.
Created 200+ social media graphics per quarter while maintaining brand consistency across 3 regions.
Designed trade show booth graphics for 5 national events.
Built a Figma component library shared by 8 designers and marketers.
Reduced print costs by 15% by standardizing paper sizes and finishes across collateral.
Won a regional design award for a craft brewery label series.

Education section guidance

A degree in graphic design or visual communication is common, but your portfolio usually matters more. List your degree briefly.

Short courses in UX, motion design or new tools can go in a Courses section.

Common graphic designer resume mistakes

No portfolio link. A designer resume without a portfolio is incomplete. Add it to the header.
Text inside images. If your resume text is part of an image, applicant tracking systems cannot read it.
Skill bars. Graphic bars for software skills are hard to interpret and not readable by ATS. Use a plain list.
Style over substance. Show results and responsibilities, not only visual flair.

ATS tips for a graphic designer resume

Keep all text selectable; export your resume as a text-based PDF.
Use standard headings even in a creative layout.
Write software names as text, not logos.
Keep your portfolio URL as plain, readable text.
Use a single-column ATS template when applying to large companies.

Check your draft with the free ATS Resume Checker, which shows your resume completeness and the plain text an applicant tracking system reads.

Helpful resume guides

Graphic designer resume FAQ

Should a graphic designer resume be creative?

It can reflect your style, but readability comes first. Many designers keep a creative version for direct applications and an ATS-friendly version for online portals.

Where should I put my portfolio link?

In the header with your contact details, as a short, readable URL.

Should I include a photo?

In the United States and Canada, photos are generally not expected. In some other countries they are more common. Follow local norms.

How many projects should I mention?

Mention the most relevant projects in your bullets and let your portfolio show more. Quality is more important than quantity.

Graphic Designer Resume Example