15 Resume Design Ideas for Designers & Creatives Who Want to Stand Out (+ Examples)

Gone are the days when job candidates focused on preparing for an interview rather than creating a resume. Back then, a resume was nothing but a Word doc, listing your education, skills, and job experience. Today, want to find new ways to stand out, especially when applying for graphic design or other creative roles. So, what are other resume design ideas when every job opening attracts around 250 resumes with only five getting an interview invitation?

In fact, it’s the only chance to impress recruiters before the interview. Its content matters, but so does its structure and look. You may be the perfect candidate, but no one will know that if your resume doesn’t attract a recruiter’s attention so they could identify it among others and take a closer look at your professional background.

Ready-made, stylish, and eye-catching alternative templates will help you design it from all angles. What you need to do is decide on its format and keep in mind the industry you apply for.

Choose a Resume Format

Think of the priorities you want to spotlight in your resume: skills, experience, background, etc. Depending on that, you’ll choose a resume design of the following formats:

• Chronological, also known as functional. This one works for you if you plan to focus on your previous job experience and want to highlight the companies you worked for.
• Skills-based, for those willing to concentrate on skills they got at university, previous jobs, and training programs. Here you can also concentrate on a resume objective, stating it like a thesis for recruiters to understand your intentions thoroughly. This one will be the best option for candidates planning to enter a new career field.

Mikha Makhoul

• A mix of two above. This one displays your skills as well as explains your job experience. At Lucidpress, you’ll find them under Creative and Infographic resume templates: this format works for both creative and traditional job fields.

All three formats have their pros and cons, so take it into consideration when choosing the best resume design ideas to format your CV.

Choose a Resume Design

It’s clear that you want your resume to stand out and grab the attention, but you also understand that enough is as good as a feast, right? All those content-heavy, cluttered with many elements, or excessively colorful resumes do nothing but harm to your professional reputation.

Key points of a good resume:

• A clean layout
• Clear titles
• Concise information
• Eye-friendly palette
• Readable typography

Taking into consideration the top graphic trends of 2019, just choose a resume design that reflects your industry and personal needs most, and fill in the content to make it ready for sending to recruiters. And these 15 resume design ideas will help you stand out from the crowd of other candidates.

15 Resume Design Ideas for Your Inspiration

All the following tips are from recruiters and professional designers on building an outstanding resume with customizable templates.

1. Use multiple columns in your resume design

You know that recruiters hate multi-page resumes. To keep it short and sweet, design your resume so you can maximize the space and still avoid overcrowding it. Columns will help here.

Ola Hamdy

Split your resume into two sections: a narrow column is for outlining shorter information (contacts, skills, a brief bio, a photo) and a wider column is for more detailed info such as your job experience and qualifications.

Use two different colors for columns to make your resume visually distinctive.

2. Lead your resume with the most impressive facts 

The top half of your resume is what a recruiter sees first, so design it with a focus on the most significant information about yourself. Don’t waste space, and place the summary and your work experience there.

Jahangir Alam Jisan

3. Keep it simple when it comes to resume designs

Creative and colorful resume designs are great, but sometimes it’s better to keep it simple and minimal, especially when applying for administrative roles at more formal companies.

Simple doesn’t equal pale and boring. Just look at this resume design: a classic font, thin lines, and clear content sections make it eye-catching anyway.

Montia Garcia

4. Customize your resume to the target company’s brand colors

Design your resume, using the brand colors and fonts of the company you’re applying to. This trick will help you stand out from the crowd of other applicants by showing recruiters that you want to work in this particular company.

Darthkix

They will see you craft a resume for them only, not make it one-size-fits-all to send to dozens of other companies.

5. Use your resume to display your personal brand

Think of injecting some personality into your resume. It will help recruiters understand your nature better, and it’s your chance to make your resume unforgettable.

Two simple ways to personalize your resume regardless of industry or role:

• Add your signature
• Add your professional photo

Or, generate creative ideas for a resume: make your short bio look punchy, draw yourself, or create a personal logo to add to your CV.

Saransh Solanki

6. Demonstrate your creativity with your resume design

Applying for a designer role at that super-creative company? Turn your resume into a bright infographic or an interactive presentation. Create animation, add videos, or other relevant visual components.

Or, create a web page and share the link with recruiters for quick access.

Andrew Huang

It’s a perfect opportunity to show off your design skills — and can double as your portfolio.

7. Balance creativity with professionalism in resume design

You need to find a fine line between creativity and professionalism. Make sure to choose a resume template that would help recruiters make positive judgments about your personal and professional skills.

Choose an elegant layout and typeface, add gradients if applicable, think of relevant colors and novelty fonts to show off your creativity. Focus on improving your resume’s readability.

Evelien Callens

8. Make your resume easily scannable

Recruiters are busy people, so the best thing you can do with your resume is make it easier to scan. Columns, bullet points, bold fonts, and easy-to-read formats are your best friends.

Tibor Brink

9. Showcase examples of your achievements in your resume

Most applicants just list their skills and experience, but it says nothing about the value you can offer to a company. Highlight your promotions and accomplishments in a resume, and give specific examples so recruiters can understand what you bring to your team.

You can share case studies with the results, build an effective portfolio, or just highlight your growth within your previous teams.

10. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread

Misused words, spelling and grammar mistakes, and wrong definitions all influence a recruiter’s perception of your ability and attention to detail. So, think of words that would describe your qualities and professional experience best; and don’t hesitate to use online tools that will help you avoid mistakes such as missing words, wrong punctuation, inconsistent tenses, etc.

11. Illustrate your skills – especially those identified as key in the job description

This trick is what graphic designers love most, as it’s the best demonstration of their professional skills. So if your industry allows, turn your resume into a piece of art. More than that, it will work as your portfolio as well.

Francisco Hidalgo

12. Use infographics to show instead of tell

It’s hard to surprise recruiters with infographic-style resumes today, given that this format is becoming commonplace. But it’s best to keep a balance between words and pictures: icons, graphs, and charts can help your resume look more professional.

Infographer

13. Color is your eye-catching resume friend

If you don’t want to use brand colors (design idea #4 above), then think of a cohesive color scheme for your resume so it will be both professional and engaging for recruiters to read.

Krysten Newby

The basic principles of color psychology can help.

14. Say hello to recruiters and hiring managers

If your industry or a company you’re applying to welcomes a conversational tone, why not add a bit of fun and humanity to your resume? It can make recruiters smile and get on the right side before you even meet.

Soumitra Saxena

15. Make it memorable – like a snapshot portfolio

Format it as a brochure, make the most out of 3-D models, and do it as a project. Such tricks with a resume can not only make you stand out but also reach high rankings in Google, thanks to tons of shares and backlinks from corresponding publications.

Lenka Kubisova/Paula IP/Samuel Profeta

And now that you’ve been inspired by resume design ideas from creative geniuses, it’s time to create your own to land a job you’ll love.

Ready to find a great new design job with these resume design ideas? Sign up now – it’s free for jobseekers!