Should a graphic designer CV be creative?

A little, but clarity comes first. Use a clean layout and type, and let your portfolio show your style.

Do I need a degree to get a graphic design job?

Not always. Many employers look at your portfolio first. A degree, a course or strong self-taught work can all help.

What should go in my portfolio?

Five or six strong pieces, each with a short note on the brief and your role. Include work that is close to the job you want.

Can I include student or unpaid work?

Yes, if it is good and you explain the brief. Say clearly that it was a student or volunteer project.

Graphic designer CV example

A strong graphic designer CV shows the kind of work you make, the tools you use and a link to a portfolio that backs it up. It should also show that you can take a brief, work to deadlines and handle feedback from clients.

Profile

Graphic designer with three years of experience at a small design studio, creating branding, print and social media graphics for local businesses. Confident in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Figma, and used to working from a client brief to a finished print or digital file. Organised with deadlines and calm when clients ask for changes.

Experience

Graphic Designer

a small design studio

Designed logos, brand guides, leaflets and menus for around 10 local business clients a year

Turned client briefs into first ideas, presented two or three routes and refined the chosen one after feedback

Prepared print-ready files with the right colours, bleed and resolution, and checked proofs with the printer

Made social media templates that clients could edit themselves in Canva

Kept projects on schedule using a shared task board and updated clients on progress

Junior Designer

a high-street print shop

Set up business cards, flyers and banners from customer artwork and ideas

Fixed low-quality images and wrong file sizes so jobs printed correctly

Spoke to customers across the counter to agree sizes, paper and deadlines

Learned how different papers and finishes affect colour and cost

Example · fictional candidate · Prism design · Use this design

Tips for a graphic designer CV

Put a portfolio link at the top of your CV, and keep the portfolio to your best five or six pieces
For each project, say what the brief was, what you did and what happened, even if you are early in your career
List software by name, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Figma, and be honest about your level
Show that you can work with clients by describing how you handled a brief or a round of feedback
Keep the design of the CV itself simple and easy to read, with clear headings
Mention print knowledge, such as bleed and colour profiles, if the job involves print

Applying with a cover letter? See our graphic designer cover letter example.