AiResume

Visual Designer Resume Example & Writing Guide

Create a resume that gets you hired as a visual designer. Our step-by-step guide provides expert tips for showcasing your skills and experience. See a real resume example you can use as a template. Learn how to make your visual design resume stand out and impress employers. Follow our advice to land more interviews and get the design job you want.

A well-made resume is very important for visual designers looking to get hired. It's the first thing employers see, so it needs to quickly show off your design skills and work history in the best way possible.

But creating a visual designer resume isn't always easy. What should you include? How should you organize it? What will make busy hiring managers want to interview you?

This guide gives you the answers. It has expert tips for writing each section of your resume, from the summary down to your education. You'll learn what skills and experience to focus on, how to describe your work, and how to make your resume visually appealing.

There's also a complete visual designer resume example you can use for inspiration or as a starting point. With this guide and example, you'll be able to make a resume that gets you more interviews and job offers. Let's get started!

Common Responsibilities Listed on Visual Designer Resumes

  • Creating visual designs and graphics for digital products (websites, mobile apps, etc.)
  • Collaborating with cross-functional teams (developers, product managers, etc.) to ensure design implementation
  • Conducting user research and usability testing to inform design decisions
  • Developing wireframes, prototypes, and mockups to visualize design concepts
  • Establishing and maintaining design systems, style guides, and brand guidelines
  • Optimizing designs for various devices and screen resolutions (responsive design)
  • Generating design assets and preparing files for development handoff
  • Staying up-to-date with design trends, tools, and best practices
  • Presenting and defending design rationale to stakeholders
  • Participating in design critiques and providing constructive feedback
  • Managing and prioritizing multiple design projects simultaneously

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How to write a Resume Summary

Your summary or objective section is a vital part of your resume. Biases aside, when hiring professionals scan through your document, it’s usually the first thing they read. Practically speaking, in this section exists your first opportunity to make a robust, advantageous impression that sets the tone for the rest of your resume. So let's delve into the key elements you need, in order to craft an accomplished summary/objective section, suited for a Visual Designer.

Understand What It Needs to Achieve

First up, it's important to clear up what a summary or objective section sets out to achieve. Essentially, it’s a succinct statement that outlines your experience, skills, and career ambitions. It should be a succinct bird’s-eye view of your professional life, designed to convince the reader you can deliver what their company requires. The key here is not just to inform, but to engage – keep it punchy, down-to-earth, and most importantly – authentic.

Draw Upon Your Unique Selling Points

Leverage the distinctiveness that sets you apart from the rest. As a visual designer, you are usually equipped with a unique set of skills – a sharp eye for detail, creativity, technical skills – whatever they may be, make sure they align with the needs of the job. Integrating your unique selling points can help to depict you as a perfect fit for the position. Remember that the intention here isn’t to say everything about you, but rather to provide enough quality information to pique curiosity and foster a thirst for more knowledge about you.

Be Specific and Targeted

Tailor your objective section to match the exact job you are applying for. Visual design includes an array of career trajectory after all. To illustrate, if you're applying for a role in UI design, mention it, and tailor your summary to encompass the key skills and experiences that a role of this nature entails. Furthermore, don't be a stranger to the job posting – recurrently, you can find useful information to help tailor your resume more specifically.

Show, Don't Just Tell

Finally, keep an eye on how you present these exemptions. Avoid overly ubiquitous claims or generic statements. Rather than stating "I have excellent communication skills," demonstrate it. For example, having "Facilitated virtual workshops to assist a team of 20 in acclimating to new design software," effectively shows your communication skills in action within a relevant, professional setting.

In light of everything, time is of the essence – employers won't give your resume a lot of time. Your summary acts as a concise, impactful anchor to your resume. It sums up who you are professionally, quickly brings attention to your key skills or achievements, and paves the way for further depth in the rest of the document. Like any good design, a successful summary or objective section is both functional and aesthetically pleasing — much like the role of a Visual Designer.

Strong Summaries

  • Experienced Visual Designer with a strong background in multi-platform UI/UX design, demonstrating a flair for turning complex information into simple, intuitive interfaces. My goal is to create memorable experiences by incorporating a mix of creativity and technical acumen. Collaborated with multi-disciplinary teams and breathed life to innovative digital experiences.
  • Creative Visual Designer demonstrating polished design instincts combined with an understanding of current industry trends and user-centered perspectives. Adept in communication and problem-solving skills with a knack for integrating visual appeal with a purpose. Successfully executed cutting-edge designs for multiple startups and Fortune 500 companies.
  • Strategic Visual Designer with in-depth comprehension of building brand identity and driving user engagement. Proven efficacy in leading design projects by coordinating with software engineers and product managers. Known for my inventive approach and talent for creating pleasant visual layouts as part of seamless user-engagement experiences.
  • Detail-oriented Visual Designer with extensive experience in developing user-friendly and visually engaging designs for web and mobile platforms. Combines a strong understanding of UX principles with a natural gift for storytelling through design. Persistent in delivering design solutions that are intuitive, beautiful, and effective.

Why these are strong?

These examples are considered good as they showcase the candidates' experiences, skills, and unique value propositions as Visual Designers. Each example highlights the candidate’s different competencies in the field of design, including multi-platform design, trend understanding, strategic designing, and user-friendly design formulation. This is considered beneficial because it allows potential employers to gain a comprehensive understanding of their capabilities. Furthermore, it outlines the relevant roles they have managed and the impact they have had on the teams they have worked with.

Weak Summaries

  • I've dabbled in visuals and designs over a few years, it's pretty fun.
  • I've a passion in creating cute cartoons and lovely graphics, oh, I also make good coffee.
  • My hobbies are painting and sketching. Looking to try out some professional design work.
  • Visual designer. I can also do computer repairs and servicing.
  • Created some cool drawings during my high school, hope to do the same as a visual designer.

Why these are weak?

The points of failure in these examples are many. Firstly, such examples come across as highly casual and unprofessional, with no quantifiable achievements, or specific skills to offer. Most importantly, they fail to demonstrate an understanding of the responsibilities and skill-set required to become a successful visual designer. A good professional summary should not be about personal hobbies, but rather, a honed-in look at proven accomplishments, strategic skills, and the value that one can bring to the role. Mention of unrelated tasks dilutes the effectiveness of the summary. Lastly, the use of informal language does not communicate the seriousness and professionalism required for the job.

Showcase your Work Experience

The Work Experience section of your resume is a critical component when applying for jobs, especially in creative fields like visual design. Here, you communicate not only where you've worked and what roles you've filled, but you also showcase the breadth and depth of your abilities. However, writing such a section can feel daunting. To streamline this process – fortunately – there are certain strategies you can employ.

Focus On Relevance

Firstly, relevance is key. You may have years of experience in varied roles, but only those that are relevant to the role you are currently applying to should be highlighted in your resume. Suppose you did graphic design for a marketing company five years ago – that's relevant. But, if you worked as a barista in the meantime – as charming as that might be – it doesn't contribute to your narrative as a visual designer, so it's best to leave it out.

Show Rather than Tell

Use action words and quantifiable results to talk about what you did in your roles. Think about your greatest achievements and how you can articulate them in a clear, concise way. Did you overhaul a website design that led to an increase in site traffic? Did you create a brand identity that got recognized at an industry award event? Here's where you tell those stories.

Expert Tip

Quantify your achievements and impact using concrete numbers, metrics, and percentages to demonstrate the value you brought to your previous roles.

Tailor For Each Application

Though it might seem easy to create a generic version and simply distribute it everywhere, it's not the best approach. Take the time to tailor your Work Experience section for every job application. Study the job description, understand what they’re looking for, and mirror those requirements in your resume. This customization shows the potential employer that you are not only serious about the job but you are a perfect fit for the role.

Order Matters

In the Work Experience section, follow a reverse chronological order. Start with your most recent role and go back from there. This gives the potential employer a view of your current abilities and shows how you have progressed in your career over time.

Keep It Simple & Clear

Lastly, no matter how much information you have to share, try to keep your Work Experience section clean and easy to read. Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs, keep your job titles bold and noticeable, and make sure your descriptions are as specific and concise as possible. Simplicity and clarity should be your guiding principles. Whether a hiring manager is doing a quick initial skim or a thorough read-through, they should be able to extract relevant information without any difficulty.

Your Work Experience section, when handled with care, is a tool that significantly benefits your job application. It's the narrative of your professional journey as a visual designer. By displaying relevance, highlighting achievements, customizing for each role, logically ordering your experiences, and prioritizing readability, you give yourself the best chance at winning that vital first impression.

Strong Experiences

  • Spearheaded redesign of a client's website, leading to a 35% increase in user engagement
  • Utilized Adobe Creative Suite to develop high-impact graphics and designs for marketing materials
  • Project-managed a team of 3 designers to ensure timely delivery of design deliverables
  • Initiated user-experience research and testing methodologies, improving design workflow efficiency by 20%
  • Worked closely with other disciplines, like copywriters and marketers, to create cohesive and impactful designs

Why these are strong?

Good examples of work experience bullet points for a Visual Designer resume highlight key responsibilities, skills, and achievements related to the role. They are specific, quantifiable, and demonstrate not only technical skill, but also interpersonal skills like teamwork and project management. They also show a clear impact of the designer's work on business goals, such as user engagement, workflow efficiency, or team productivity.

Weak Experiences

  • Used software to do projects
  • Coordinated with team for assignments
  • Worked as a Visual Designer
  • Transformed client ideas into designs
  • Made things look good
  • Responsible for creating graphics

Why these are weak?

All the above examples are vague statements that neither display the applicant's specific role or responsibilities nor the kind of impact they had on the projects they worked on. They do not provide potential employers with an idea of the applicant's skill set or the scope of their work, which is integral for a job like Visual Designing. Clear, specific examples that demonstrate the applicant's achievements and capabilities are preferable as it gives a better idea of their abilities. Additionally, including metrics that quantify the applicant's performance would also make the examples stronger. For instance, instead of saying 'transformed client ideas into designs', the applicant could say 'developed over 100+ project designs converting client ideas into visual elements'

Skills, Keywords & ATS Tips

For a successful visual designer's career, both hard and soft skills are essential. They define the ability to perform your job effectively and relate to your peers and clients. Understanding how these skills interplay with the use of keywords and ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) can transform your resume from just good to highly competitive.

Importance of Hard Skills

Hard skills for a visual designer are technical capabilities gained via education, training, or experience. They are specific, teachable abilities such as mastery in design software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or understanding of color theory, typography, and UI/UX design.

These skills are important because they prove your capacity to execute the tasks integral to the job. Without them, you might find it hard to perform even the basic responsibilities of a visual designer.

Importance of Soft Skills

Unlike hard skills, soft skills are interpersonal attributes or people skills. They are less about what you know and more about how you work. Some crucial soft skills for visual designers include creativity, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.

These skills are necessary as they reflect your personality, work ethics, and how well you would fit within the team or company culture. They give hiring managers a hint about your ability to take criticism, work independently or within a team, and manage projects effectively.

Keywords, ATS, and Matching Skills

Now, let's talk about how hard and soft skills are linked with keywords and ATS. When employers search for potential candidates, they use specific keywords related to the job. These keywords often revolve around specific hard and soft skills. If you use these keywords while describing your skills, it helps the employers quickly recognize your qualification for the job.

As for the ATS, it's a software used by many companies to sift through numerous resumes efficiently. It scans each resume and ranks them based on how well they match the job requirements. This is where using the right keywords becomes vital. When you incorporate the same language or keywords used in the job description into your resume, the ATS will likely give your resume a higher ranking. And as a result, it will increase the chances of your resume reaching the hiring manager.

In essence, the skills you present in your resume, both hard and soft, will portray your competence as a visual designer. When paired right with the use of effective keywords and understanding of ATS, you can position your resume perfectly in the eyes of both the machine and the hiring manager.

Top Hard & Soft Skills for Full Stack Developers

Hard Skills

  • Graphic Design
  • Typography
  • Color Theory
  • Layout Design
  • Illustration
  • User Interface Design
  • User Experience Design
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Web Design
  • Print Design
  • Brand Identity
  • Visual Communication
  • Digital Illustration
  • Motion Graphics
  • Responsive Design
  • Soft Skills

  • Creativity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Time Management
  • Collaboration
  • Adaptability
  • Critical Thinking
  • Empathy
  • Open-mindedness
  • Client Management
  • Presentation Skills
  • Teamwork
  • Flexibility
  • Innovation
  • Top Action Verbs

    Use action verbs to highlight achievements and responsibilities on your resume.

  • Designed
  • Created
  • Developed
  • Conceptualized
  • Illustrated
  • Collaborated
  • Presented
  • Communicated
  • Brainstormed
  • Iterated
  • Implemented
  • Executed
  • Managed
  • Coordinated
  • Solved
  • Innovated
  • Adapted
  • Critiqued
  • Prototyped
  • Visualized
  • Branded
  • Pitched
  • Drafted
  • Storyboarded
  • Animated
  • Crafted
  • Styled
  • Printed
  • Photoshopped
  • Illustrated
  • Conceptualized
  • Designed
  • Developed
  • Created
  • Produced
  • Edited
  • Education

    Adding your education and certificates to your resume is relatively straightforward. Firstly, create a dedicated section titled "Education" or "Certifications." The entries in this section should be listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent qualification at the top. Provide key information such as the institution name, degree or certificate earned, and the year it was completed. For a visual designer, highlighting pertinent certifications such as Adobe certification can give you an edge over other candidates. Remember, honesty is key. Only list genuine qualifications that you can substantiate.

    Resume FAQs for Visual Designers

    question

    What is the ideal resume format for a Visual Designer?


    Answer

    The most effective resume format for a Visual Designer is a combination format that highlights your design portfolio and relevant skills upfront. This format allows you to showcase your creative work samples while also providing a clear overview of your professional experience and qualifications.

    question

    How long should a Visual Designer's resume be?


    Answer

    A Visual Designer's resume should typically be one page in length. However, if you have extensive experience or a substantial portfolio, it can extend to two pages. The key is to present your information concisely and effectively, while ensuring that your design skills and relevant accomplishments are prominently featured.

    question

    What design software proficiency should be included on a Visual Designer's resume?


    Answer

    As a Visual Designer, it's essential to highlight your proficiency in industry-standard design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Sketch, Figma, or any other relevant tools you have expertise in. Clearly listing your software skills demonstrates your technical capabilities and readiness to take on design projects.

    question

    How can a Visual Designer effectively showcase their portfolio on a resume?


    Answer

    The most effective way to showcase your portfolio on a resume is to include a dedicated section with links to your online portfolio or a curated selection of your best work samples. You can also embed visual thumbnails or QR codes that direct employers to your portfolio website or online galleries. This allows you to visually demonstrate your design skills and creativity.

    question

    What are some key accomplishments a Visual Designer should highlight on their resume?


    Answer

    As a Visual Designer, you should highlight accomplishments that demonstrate your design impact, such as successful rebranding projects, award-winning designs, high-profile client work, or measurable improvements in user engagement or conversion rates. Quantifying your achievements with metrics or statistics can effectively showcase the value you bring to an organization.

    Visual Designer Resume Example

    A Visual Designer is responsible for crafting visually appealing and user-friendly designs for digital products, websites, mobile apps, and marketing materials. Their key duties include conceptualizing and executing design concepts, creating graphics, illustrations, layouts, and branding elements aligned with brand guidelines, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance user experience. When writing a resume for a Visual Designer role, emphasize your expertise in design principles, color theory, typography, and proficiency in relevant software like Adobe Creative Suite. Highlight successful projects where your designs improved user engagement, brand recognition, and conversion rates. Include a link to your online portfolio showcasing your best work samples demonstrating your creative problem-solving abilities.

    Herbert Diaz
    herbert.diaz@example.com
    (506) 251-0953
    linkedin.com/in/herbert.diaz
    Visual Designer

    Creative and detail-oriented Visual Designer with a strong portfolio showcasing innovative designs across various media. Adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver engaging visual experiences that captivate audiences and drive brand success. Passionate about staying at the forefront of design trends and technologies to create impactful and user-centric designs.

    Work Experience
    Senior Visual Designer
    01/2021 - Present
    Blend Labs
    • Led the redesign of the company's website, resulting in a 30% increase in user engagement and a 20% reduction in bounce rate.
    • Developed a cohesive visual language for the company's product suite, improving brand recognition and user experience.
    • Collaborated with the marketing team to create compelling visual content for social media and email campaigns, contributing to a 25% increase in click-through rates.
    • Mentored junior designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth within the design team.
    • Conducted user research and usability testing to inform design decisions and ensure the effectiveness of visual solutions.
    Visual Designer
    06/2018 - 12/2020
    Peloton
    • Designed and implemented a new visual style guide for the company's mobile app, resulting in a more cohesive and engaging user experience.
    • Created visually compelling infographics and data visualizations for the company's blog and social media channels, increasing user engagement by 40%.
    • Collaborated with the product team to design intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces for new features and product updates.
    • Developed a series of illustrations and animations for the company's marketing campaigns, contributing to a 15% increase in brand awareness.
    • Participated in design sprints and ideation sessions to generate innovative visual solutions and improve the overall user experience.
    Graphic Designer
    09/2016 - 05/2018
    The Honest Company
    • Designed packaging and labeling for the company's product line, ensuring visual consistency and adherence to brand guidelines.
    • Created engaging social media graphics and email marketing templates, contributing to a 20% increase in follower growth and email open rates.
    • Collaborated with the content team to develop visually compelling blog post graphics and infographics, increasing user engagement and shares.
    • Assisted in the design and production of marketing collateral, including brochures, flyers, and trade show materials.
    • Maintained and organized the company's digital asset library, ensuring easy access to design resources for the entire team.
    Skills
  • Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
  • Sketch
  • Figma
  • HTML/CSS
  • Responsive Design
  • User Interface (UI) Design
  • User Experience (UX) Design
  • Branding and Identity Design
  • Typography
  • Color Theory
  • Information Architecture
  • Data Visualization
  • Illustration
  • Animation
  • Design Thinking
  • Education
    Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
    08/2012 - 05/2016
    California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA