Ensure your CV format is structured to best highlight your unique experience and life situation.
Graphic Design CV Template (Text Format)
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Graphic Design Specialist with 6+ years of experience developing top-notch design assets for businesses. Possess a BA in Graphic Design from Nottingham Trent University. Skilled at guiding challenging projects from conception to completion. Seeking to leverage my strong creative expertise and design intuition to help develop innovative branding for your company.
EDUCATION
Nottingham Trent University, 20XX–20XX
BA (Hons) Graphic Design, 2:1
Relevant Modules: Visual Communication Theory, Typography, Advertising Design
City of Leicester College, 20XX–20XX
Leicester
A Levels: Art (A), English Lit. (A), French (A), Geography (A)
GCSEs: 8 A*–C including Maths, Triple Science, DT, and ICT
KEY SKILLS
- Figma
- InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop
- HTML & CSS
- Website Design
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senior Graphic Design Specialist, May 20XX – Present
Crashcourse Designs, Nottingham
- Lead the design, development and execution of communication materials while helping clients cut costs by an average of 10%
- Delegate tasks to 3 freelance designers and provide counsel on all aspects of website and app design projects
- Supervise newly created design assets and other materials to ensure the quality of each design
- Produced modern, eye-catching illustrations for clients using Adobe Illustrator and Figma
Graphic Design Specialist, September 20XX – April 20XX
Soto Advertising, London
- Developed 50+ marketing assets per quarter (logos, brochures, newsletters, infographics, PowerPoint presentations, and advertisements)
- Assisted with 3 different major design projects while meeting weekly deadlines
- Consulted with clients on the most appropriate graphic design options based on their marketing goals and branding specifications
Print Assistant, June 20XX – May 20XX
Fourstone Group, Basingstoke
- Used Illustrator to design digitalised logos for clients
- Oversaw the production process, ensuring designs were seamlessly transferred onto a variety of materials and fabrics
- Implemented strict quality control measures to ensure the precision and accuracy of each embellishment
How to write a graphic design CV
Before you begin writing, make sure you know how to write a CV in a way that best emphasises your strengths.
Whether you’re applying for freelance roles or an in-house position as a graphic designer, you’ll need a concise, well-written graphic design CV clearly showcasing your relevant design skills.
So use this section-by-section guide to write an eye-catching application that makes your artistic value vividly clear to the employer. When you’re done writing your CV, don’t forget to complete your application with a matching graphic design cover letter.
1. List your up-to-date contact information
- Clearly list your contact details at the top of your CV, so the employer can reach you if they want to invite you for an interview. Make sure you include your:email
- phone number
- location (just your town or city is fine)
- LinkedIn profile URL
Include a link to your online portfolio in your header if you have one. Linking to your portfolio gives employers a chance to look at your previous work and see if you have the requirements they want in their ideal graphic designer.
2. Write a convincing personal statement
A compelling graphic designer personal statement gets the employer interested by outlining your expertise and emphasising its value to the hiring team. For this reason, it’s especially important to pour a little extra time into your personal statement if you’re writing a graphic designer CV without much formal work experience.
Your personal statements should consist of 3–5 sentences that showcase:
- who you are
- your most valuable skills or achievements
- your motivation for applying to the specific employer
There are two approaches to writing a great graphic designer profile, depending on how much experience you have:
🧑💼 If you’re a senior graphic designer, focus on highlighting your years of experience and relating your expertise to the core job requirements:
🧑🎓 If you’re an entry-level graphic designer, emphasise your passion for the field. Mention any relevant qualifications (e.g., your degree) or key tools and software that you can use proficiently. Highlight a reason for wanting to work for the specific employer or a particular strength you can bring to their team.
3. Describe your prior work experience
There are two approaches to listing your graphic design experience in your work history, depending on whether you’ve worked in-house or soloed as a freelancer (if you’ve had both experiences, then both methods apply to you).
Here’s how to list traditional, in-house graphic design experience on your CV:
How to list your traditional graphic design experience
- State your position title, company name, and dates you were employed
- Explain your duties and responsibilities, quantifying them with hard numbers
- List promotions, achievements, and how you were rewarded for quality work
Here’s how to include freelance graphic design experience on your CV:
How to list your freelance graphic design experience
- Write the project name, company who assigned it to you, and project duration
- Similar to traditional work experience, quantify your project duties and responsibilities with exact numbers
- If you’ve worked in-house and freelanced, list your freelance projects in a separate section from your in-house work history
4. List your educational qualifications
Especially if you’ve just graduated, the employer will want to know about your educational qualifications.
Give them an overview of your educational background by listing your degree (and degree classification if you were awarded a 2:1 or higher), as well as any relevant vocational or school leaving that you’ve been awarded:
University of the Arts London (2019–2022)
BA (Hons) Graphic and Media Design, 1st
5. Highlight your graphic design skills
Having a detailed skills section on your graphic design CV is essential because it tells employers:
- what design software you’re familiar with
- the design techniques you’re versed in
- what programming languages you know
- how well you work with other employees
If you’re unsure whether the job-specific abilities on your CV will impress your target employer, here are some of the top graphic design skills employers want to see:
- Media production
- Infographic design
- Photo editing
- Web design
- Adobe Creative Suite
- InVision Studio
- Figma
- HTML
- CSS
- UI/UX design
- Print design
- Logo creation
- Branding
- Typography
- Colour theory
Use a CV maker with built-in creative designs if you’d like to save yourself some time and design work — and don’t forget to create a matching cover letter to accompany your CV.
How to Become a Graphic Designer Without a Degree
Just starting out in graphic design? Experienced designer Abi Connick explains how she got started in the industry without going the university route.
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