Which matters more, CV or portfolio?

The portfolio decides, but the CV is what gets filtered. Send both: a machine-readable CV with the link at the top, and a portfolio of six to ten well-explained pieces.

How many projects should the portfolio hold?

Six to ten, strongest first, every one with context. A thirty-piece portfolio is judged by its weakest item, so removing pays better than adding.

Do I need interface design skills?

Not always, but they widen the market considerably, since much current demand mixes brand and digital product. If you have them, put them in the headline; if not, do not pretend, because it gets tested with an exercise.

Should I mention freelance work?

Yes, with years and client type. Employers value that autonomy and the ability to quote and hit deadlines, as long as it is clear you now want a permanent role.

CV example2026 edition

Graphic designer CV example

In design the CV opens the door and the portfolio closes it: link at the top as text, measurable results, and tools named one by one.

Use this example in the editor View the template

Free to edit. PDF download included with access.

Sector: Technology and data
Template used: Barcelona
ATS level: ATS compatible
ATS keywords: 5

Document preview

How the CV looks once laid out

The same example content, laid out in the recommended template: single column, selectable text and no tables or graphics that break automated parsing.

Open this example in the editor View the template: Barcelona

Sample document. Open it in the editor to change template, language and sections without losing the content.

Amber Fisher

Brand and digital designer with a 40-project portfolio

Professional summary

Graphic designer with six years in studio and in-house teams. I've built full identities for 12 brands, maintain the design system for an e-commerce range of 600 products, and lifted campaign click-through 18% by redesigning the assets. Adobe Creative Suite and Figma daily.

Experience

Graphic designer

Employer name · City · 2019 – Present

Created full brand identities for 12 companies, logo through to guidelines
Lifted campaign click-through 18% by redesigning display and social assets
Built a Figma design system that cut production time by 40%

Education

Qualification or certificate for the role

Training centre · Year

graphic designer CV laid out in the Barcelona template. Sample name and contact details.

Professional headline

This is the line that decides whether they keep reading: a specific role and years of experience, never an adjective.

Brand and digital designer with a 40-project portfolio

Example professional summary

Three or four sentences with your specialism, one figure and your goal. It sits right under the headline.

Achievements that work in this role

Past-tense verb, what you did, measurable result. Three to five per role, strongest first.

01Created full brand identities for 12 companies, logo through to guidelines
02Lifted campaign click-through 18% by redesigning display and social assets
03Built a Figma design system that cut production time by 40%

Skills to include

Written as plain text: rating bars are invisible to automated filters.

Brand identity
Figma and design systems
Illustrator and InDesign
Photoshop and retouching
Editorial design
Artwork and prepress

ATS keywords

The terms filters search for in this role. Place them inside your experience, not in a list at the end.

brand identity
Figma
Adobe
design system
artwork

Work them naturally into your experience — these are the terms screening software scans for.

Tips for this CV

What separates a CV for this trade from a generic one.

01
Link your portfolio in the header as plain text — never inside an image.
02
Measure the result of the design (clicks, conversion, production time), not just the piece.
03
Name each tool separately; an ATS won't infer 'Adobe' from a logo.

What a graphic designer CV is

Short definition, ready to quote.

A graphic designer CV is the one or two page document used to apply for a graphic designer role in technology and data: it brings together the professional headline, the profile summary, experience with measurable results and the competencies the trade expects you to evidence, such as Brand identity and Figma and design systems. Unlike a generic CV, it is ordered around what the applicant tracking system and the hiring manager look for in a graphic designer: the words used in the advert and the numbers of the actual job.

Keywords and where to place them

Each term works best in a specific place in the document. Repeating them all at the end scores nothing.

Keyword	Where to place it
brand identity	In the professional headline
Figma	In the profile summary
Adobe	Inside an achievement with a figure
design system	In the skills list
artwork	In training or certifications

How this graphic designer CV gets through the filters

What the example above does right, point by point.

The headline reads «Brand and digital designer with a 40-project portfolio»: the job title (graphic designer) appears literally in the first line, not as a creative synonym.
The trade's keywords —brand identity, Figma, Adobe— sit inside the experience and summary, where the filter reads them in context.
Every achievement carries its figure. «Created full brand identities for 12 companies, logo through to guidelines» is the pattern to copy: volume, timeframe and result.
Skills such as Brand identity, Figma and design systems, Illustrator and InDesign are written as plain text, never as rating bars or stars, which no parser can read.
The Barcelona template is two-column with a linear reading order and rated ATS compatible, so the sections come out in order.

Check your CV and see the ATS score

What hiring managers look for in a graphic designer

The three points that separate two candidates in this trade.

Portfolio before CV

In design the portfolio decides and the CV opens the door. Link it in the first line, with a short, ordered selection; if the link fails or asks for permission, the application ends there.

Your actual specialism

Brand identity, editorial, packaging, UI, motion and retail are different trades. State yours and the type of client, and be explicit about which part of each project was yours.

Artwork and production

This is what makes a designer employable: print-ready files (bleed, marks, CMYK, profiles), format adaptation and delivery with guidelines. If you have attended press checks, say so.

Common mistakes on a graphic designer CV

The ones that repeat in this role, each with its fix.

01
A CV so designed it cannot be read
Experimental layouts break in automated filters and irritate whoever has to read quickly. Design with judgement: one column, clear hierarchy, selectable text — save the flourish for the portfolio.
02
Showing student or speculative work without labelling it
An unsolicited rebrand of a famous logo fools a recruiter for thirty seconds and then costs credibility. Label every piece: real client, student project or self-initiated.
03
Not explaining the problem
Design without context is decoration. Add two lines per project: what the client needed, what you decided, and what happened afterwards.
04
Leaving out tools and collaboration
Beyond the graphics suite, employers expect interface tooling, design systems, file versioning and handover to development. Working with components is what makes a designer scalable.

What a graphic designer earns

So you can tell whether an advert is at market rate before applying.

Usual range: Typically £28,000-£40,000 a year in-house; studio and agency pay varies with account size
What moves the figure: Specialism decides: UI and product design pay above generalist graphic design, with motion at the top.
Where the figure comes from: Ranges observed in UK design adverts through 2026.

Frequently asked

Questions about a graphic designer CV

Which matters more, CV or portfolio?: The portfolio decides, but the CV is what gets filtered. Send both: a machine-readable CV with the link at the top, and a portfolio of six to ten well-explained pieces.
How many projects should the portfolio hold?: Six to ten, strongest first, every one with context. A thirty-piece portfolio is judged by its weakest item, so removing pays better than adding.
Do I need interface design skills?: Not always, but they widen the market considerably, since much current demand mixes brand and digital product. If you have them, put them in the headline; if not, do not pretend, because it gets tested with an exercise.
Should I mention freelance work?: Yes, with years and client type. Employers value that autonomy and the ability to quote and hit deadlines, as long as it is clear you now want a permanent role.

More roles in the same sector

Carry on here

Guides that complete this example

Build your CV with this example alongside

Open the editor, type in your details and watch your live ATS score. Switch template any time without losing a thing.

Build my CV See templates