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Find out the dos and don'ts of writing an impressive graphic designer CV
If you're a skilled graphic designer looking for your next job, having a well-crafted CV is the first step to ensuring success. The long-term career prospects are endless. You could start an agency, become a manager, or lecture in graphic design. However, before you reach those heights, you need to impress the hiring manager with your CV. Read our guide on writing one, complete with a graphic designer CV template to use for inspiration.
What is a graphic designer CV?
A graphic designer CV is a document that offers an overview of your work experience, skills, and qualifications. It's used when applying for a graphic design job, to help you secure an interview. Since graphic design is a creative industry, graphic designers usually highlight their personal qualities and experiences both inside and outside of their career through a portfolio.
Why is a graphic designer CV important?
While your portfolio will do much of the heavy lifting here, you still need a CV. That's because there are a wide variety of graphic design fields out there, including web design, UI and interactive design, advertising and marketing, motion graphics and animation, packaging design, game design, and publication and typography design, all of which require a very specific skill set. Your creative designer CV lets the hiring manager know which skills and category you fit into here.
Before we explore the graphic designer CV template and example, let's walk you through some key CV-writing guidelines.
Choosing the right format for your CV
The format of the CV can be adjusted to suit your unique experiences and career path so far. However, there are certain sections that prospective employers expect to see in a graphic designer CV, and these include your:
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Contact information
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Personal profile
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Core competencies or key skills
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Employment history
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Education and qualifications
Our graphic designer CV template, linked below, will help you get started at ensuring that all the key elements of your CV are in place. Once you have the basic format of your CV nailed down, it can be tailored easily to each vacancy to showcase the required abilities, accomplishments, and expertise. In most cases, we recommend using the reverse-chronological format. However, if you're new to the graphic design field, you might want to use a functional or hybrid format instead.
A graphic designer CV can be updated and reused time and time again, and so it's worth investing in the first draft and getting it right.
How to write a CV for a graphic designer
To help increase your chances of success in landing your next graphic design job, follow these steps to create your CV:
Step 1: add your contact information
Rather than beginning your CV with “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae,” start with your contact information. This includes your full name, current job title, location, phone number, email address, and a link to your website or professional online portfolio showcasing your graphic design work.
Step 2: write a punchy personal statement
The next section is your personal profile, which is also referred to as a personal statement or a professional summary. A personal profile is effectively your elevator pitch and a chance to introduce yourself as a graphic designer. It's a short paragraph summarising who you are and the value you bring to the table.
You should always tailor your personal profile to the job you're applying for, as it's often the first section a prospective employer will read. The value you'll bring to the table is likely to vary from vacancy to vacancy, due to each employer's unique requirements. Combing through the job description and role requirements will guide you towards the right points to reference.
Step 3: list your key skills
A core competencies and key skills section is your secret weapon. This section is designed to highlight your most relevant skills in graphic design. It's the perfect way to list graphic design skills on your CV, especially since this section sits front and centre of the document.
Review the job description, then list a handful of your most impressive abilities that align with the employer's requirements. It's even better if you can mirror the language used in the job description, as this will show you're a clear match.
Examples of graphic design skills you could include are:
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Adobe Creative Cloud
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Colour theory
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Interactive media
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Portfolio management
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Responsive design
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UI research
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Typography and typesetting
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Client communication
Step 4: include your work history
The next section to include is your employment history. List your graphic design work experience in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent position.
For each role, list the company name, your job title, employment dates, and a short overview of your position to add context. Additionally, use bullet points to list your key achievements, rather than providing a comprehensive list of your duties and responsibilities. This approach shows the hiring manager what you bring to the table – rather than just what you can do.
To ensure your content resonates with the prospective employer, review the job description again and evaluate where your achievements align with the key requirements. By highlighting your relevant experience, you'll show the employer how you can help them address the business' needs.
Step 5: add in your qualifications
An education and qualifications section can also be leveraged to show an employer that you have the right level of knowledge to get the job done. This is particularly so for graphic designers, as most roles require a degree-level qualification or other dedicated courses in creative software or design theory.
Like your employment history, list your education in reverse-chronological order. Include the qualification title, the institution you attended or the course provider, and the year the certificate was awarded. If you broke into the industry with an apprenticeship, you can include it here.
Step 6: slide in some additional CV sections
We've covered the essential sections of a CV, but there are a few additional sections you may not have thought about, which may give your graphic designer CV an extra edge. They include:
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Technical skills: Show off which graphic design software you're confident using.
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Languages: If you can speak or write in any language other than English, include it along with an indication of how fluent you are.
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Awards: Internal, external and team awards will add value to your CV, as they are a recognition of how well you perform. State what the award was for, the year you received it, and who awarded it.
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Accreditations: If you're a member of a creative society or Chartered Institute of Designers, include that too. It will showcase your commitment to your career and validate your experience.
Formatting guidelines for a graphic designer CV
Here are some best practice tips and tricks for formatting your graphic design CV:
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Length: The standard length of a graphic designer CV is two pages, but if you're a C-suite executive you may extend it to three. If you're applying for your first job, one page is probably enough.
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Font type and size: Simple, contemporary font types are best to aid legibility. You can choose the font to showcase your personality, such as a bubbly font like Lora rather than a structured font like Arial. Keep body text between 10 and 12 point font, and headings slightly larger.
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File type: The best CV file type is a Word document, as it will maintain formatting and an applicant tracking system (ATS) will be able to read it accurately.
What not to include on a graphic designer CV
Don't ruin your chances of success by making simple mistakes. There are a few things not to include on your graphic designer CV:
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Avoid creative elements: A creative CV design may create problems with an ATS. Heavy designs can be distracting for employers, as bells and whistles can distract from the key points on your CV. If you want to show visuals of your talent, link to your portfolio.
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Don't list references or referees: Asking for references is standard employment practice and is completed once you're hired. Therefore, you don't need to add the line “references available upon request” or list your referees. It's a waste of CV real estate.
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No photos or headshots: Adding a headshot may seem professional and polished, but it's not standard practice on UK CVs because of anti-discrimination laws.
- Don't reference protected characteristics: Sensitive information such as age, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, sex or gender reassignment, or disabilities are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. They do not need to be referenced on your CV and it's illegal for potential employers to ask about them.
Graphic design CV template
If you're looking for a graphic design job, here's a template to reference when writing your CV:
Graphic design CV example
Here's a graphic designer CV example for a UK job seeker:
Stand out with your CV
Graphic design is a competitive industry, but using these CV tips and tricks should help you on your way to crafting a winning application. Remember, you don't need to use a busy, creative design – your portfolio will be enough to highlight your creativity. When in doubt, use our graphic designer CV template to ensure that your CV is easy to read and ticks all of the right boxes.
Want to make sure your CV showcases your relevant skills and achievements, as well as creative talent? Submit your CV for a free review to receive objective feedback and expert advice on how to polish your document.
This article was originally written by Laura Slingo and has been updated by Charlotte Grainger.