Resume template · Updated October 2026
Creative resume template: a softer layout plus your portfolio
Short answer
Daniel gives a creative resume a little more personality than Resumity's other templates, with section headings in rounded grey pills and a three-column skills grid. Be clear about the limits: none of the seven has columns, photos, icons, illustrations or skill bars, so this is not a designer portfolio layout. In creative hiring the portfolio does the showing; the fictional brand designer sample is built to send readers to it.
Download the creative sample
Rafael is a fictional senior brand designer. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Daniel suits a creative resume
Daniel sets every section heading inside a rounded light-grey pill and shows skills in a three-column grid, a softer look than the templates built only from rules while staying one column of real text. A designer's resume mainly has to get the portfolio opened, and Daniel looks considered without competing with the work it points to.
Second choice: Olivia. Olivia's full-width blue header band is the boldest look of the seven; pick it if you want the page itself to make a stronger first impression on screen.
What goes in each section, in Daniel's order
Daniel prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Professional Summary. Name your discipline and the kinds of brands or media you work in, then who you collaborate with (copywriters, developers, printers), so a studio can tell quickly whether your range matches its clients.
- Skills. Daniel prints each skill group as a column with no label. Lead with disciplines (identity, packaging, typography) and follow with software, so the left column says what you do, not which apps you open.
- Work Experience. Each bullet names a deliverable and where it ended up: on shelves, at a trade show, in guidelines the client still uses. Refer to clients by sector unless you are free to name them.
- Projects. One or two pieces outside your jobs, such as pro bono or self-initiated work, show range. Every project listed here should also be in your portfolio so the reader can see it.
- Education. Degree and school. A BFA or a respected short course belongs here; student awards can go after a few years in work unless they are widely known in your field.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Rafael Ortega
Senior Brand Designer
Portland, OR | rafael.ortega@example.com | (503) 555-0139 | behance.net/sample-rafael-ortega | linkedin.com/in/sample-rafael-ortega
Brand designer with seven years creating identities, packaging and campaign graphics for food, beverage and outdoor brands. Takes projects from first sketch to print-ready files and works closely with copywriters and printers to keep every piece on brief and on budget.
Experience
Senior Brand Designer, Fernwood Creative Studio, Portland, OR (08/2022 to Present)
- Lead identity projects for about eight client brands a year, from moodboards to final brand guidelines.
- Redesigned packaging for a regional coffee roaster's 14 products, now stocked in grocery stores across the state.
- Present concepts directly to clients and run revision rounds with the account team.
- Mentor two junior designers and check their files before anything goes to print.
Graphic Designer, Tidepool Outdoor Co., Bend, OR (05/2019 to 07/2022)
- Designed seasonal catalog spreads, trade show graphics and product hang tags.
- Built an in-house template library so the marketing team could make social graphics without a designer.
- Prepared print files and approved proofs with three regular printers.
Projects
Riverbend Farmers Market identity: Pro bono rebrand for a weekly community market, 2024.
- Designed the logo, stall signage and a printed vendor map used by about 60 vendors each week.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Cascadia School of Art and Design (05/2019)
Skills
Brand identity, Packaging design, Typography, Art direction, Print production, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Figma, Presenting concepts to clients, Working with copywriters
How to make the sample yours
Make the portfolio link easy to find
The link matters more than anything in the layout. Use a short address that opens straight onto your best work, with no login or splash page, and put it first among the header links.
Let the portfolio carry the visuals
Do not try to rebuild a visual CV inside the resume. Choose four to six case studies for the portfolio and refer to one or two of them in your bullets.
Match bullets to portfolio pieces
If a bullet mentions packaging for 14 products, the portfolio should show it. A reader who cannot find the work will assume it is weaker than described.
Adapt it for other creative fields
Copywriters can swap packaging for campaigns and formats; video editors for runtimes and platforms; illustrators for clients and publications. Keep the deliverable-plus-destination pattern.
Save the wit for the work
Cute headings ("My Toolbox", "Where I've Played") make the page slower to scan. Daniel prints standard section names; if you add an extra list, title it just as plainly.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- brand identity
- graphic design
- packaging design
- typography
- art direction
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Figma
- print production
- brand guidelines
- concept development
- portfolio
Mistakes to avoid
- Building a graphics-heavy resume in a design app for an online application form. Keep the resume as text and put the visual flair in the portfolio.
- Rating software with stars or percentage bars. None of Resumity's templates draws them, and "Illustrator 90%" tells a reader nothing that a project would not tell better.
- A portfolio link that is broken, private or tucked away at the bottom of the page.
- Listing every app you have ever opened. Keep the tools a studio would expect you to use daily.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 8 of 8 |
Frequently asked questions
Do creative jobs need a creative-looking resume?
Usually the portfolio covers that. A clear resume pointing to strong work is easier to read than an elaborate layout, and it leaves your design choices to the pieces themselves.
Can I add icons, a photo or a two-column layout?
Not in Resumity. All seven templates are a single text column with no photo, icons, graphics or skill bars. If a studio expects a designed CV, make that in your design tool and keep this as the plain version.
Where should my portfolio link go?
In the header with your contact details, where Daniel prints links on the contact line under your name. Repeat it in the application form or cover letter.
Which creative roles does Daniel suit?
Designers, product managers and anyone who wants a softer look than a page of rules. Writers, editors, illustrators and producers can use it too, as long as their portfolio carries the visuals.
How many projects should a creative resume list?
One to three outside your jobs is plenty. The rest belong in the portfolio, where they can be seen rather than described.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Daniel PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 8 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
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