Whether you’re a recent graduate stepping into the design world, switching careers from another field, or re-entering the workforce after a break, your resume needs to demonstrate both your creative prowess and professional capabilities. This comprehensive guide will show you exactly how to craft a visual designer resume that captures attention, showcases your skills effectively, and gets you noticed by Australian employers.

Visual Designer Resume Examples and How to Write

Visual design is a rapidly growing field in Australia, with opportunities spanning from digital agencies and tech startups to corporate marketing teams and creative studios. As businesses increasingly recognise the importance of strong visual communication, skilled visual designers are in high demand across major cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and beyond.

This guide provides you with everything you need to create a standout visual designer resume tailored specifically for the Australian job market. You’ll find practical examples, formatting tips, and industry-specific advice to help your application rise above the competition and land you those crucial interviews.

Visual Designer Resume (Text Version)

What is The Best Format for a Visual Designer Resume?

For visual designers in Australia, the reverse chronological format is your best choice. This format showcases your most recent and relevant experience first, which is exactly what hiring managers want to see. It demonstrates career progression and allows employers to quickly assess your current skill level and recent achievements.

Font Selection: Choose clean, professional fonts that reflect good design sensibility. Recommended options include Helvetica, Arial, or Calibri for body text (10-11pt) and slightly larger (12-14pt) for headings. Avoid overly decorative fonts that might distract from your content or appear unprofessional.

Layout and Spacing: Maintain 1-inch margins on all sides and use consistent white space throughout your resume. This creates visual hierarchy and makes your resume easy to scan. Remember, as a visual designer, your resume layout itself is a demonstration of your design skills.

File Format: Always submit your resume as a PDF unless the job posting specifically requests otherwise. PDFs maintain formatting across different devices and operating systems, ensuring your carefully crafted design appears exactly as intended.

Essential Resume Sections:

Header: Include your full name, phone number, professional email address, LinkedIn profile URL, portfolio website, and location (city and state).

Professional Summary: A brief 3-4 line overview highlighting your experience level, key skills, and notable achievements.

Experience: Your work history in reverse chronological order, focusing on relevant design roles and accomplishments.

Education: Your formal qualifications, particularly important for creative roles in Australia.

Skills: Both technical design skills and relevant soft skills.

Additional Sections: Certifications, awards, professional associations, and relevant projects as space allows.

What Experience Should Be on Your Visual Designer Resume?

Your experience section should focus on roles that demonstrate your visual design capabilities, creative problem-solving skills, and ability to deliver results. Include positions where you created visual content, worked with design software, collaborated with clients or teams, or contributed to marketing and branding initiatives. Even if your previous roles weren’t specifically “Visual Designer” positions, highlight any design-related responsibilities you had.

Focus on quantifiable achievements wherever possible. Instead of simply listing job duties, show the impact of your work through metrics like increased engagement, improved conversion rates, or successful project completions. This approach demonstrates your value to potential employers and sets you apart from other candidates.

Entry-Level Visual Designer Resume Samples [Experience]

If you’re just starting your visual design career, focus on internships, freelance work, volunteer projects, and relevant coursework. Highlight any real-world design experience, even if it was unpaid or part of your studies. Emphasise your eagerness to learn, technical skills, and any measurable results from your early projects.

How to Write the Education Section for your Visual Designer Resume

Education is particularly important for visual designers, as formal design training demonstrates your foundation in design principles, theory, and technical skills. Australian employers often value structured design education, especially from recognised institutions like RMIT, UTS, or other established design schools. Include your degree title, institution name, graduation year, and any relevant honours or distinctions. For recent graduates, you can also include relevant coursework, major projects, or academic achievements that relate to visual design.

If you have multiple qualifications, list them in reverse chronological order. Include any design-related certifications, diplomas, or short courses that complement your formal education. This shows your commitment to continuous learning—a valuable trait in the rapidly evolving design industry.

Visual Designer Resume Example [Education]

How to Write the Skills Section for your Visual Designer Resume

The skills section is crucial for visual designers because it immediately communicates your technical capabilities and creative competencies to hiring managers and ATS systems. Focus on including 8-12 skills that are most relevant to the specific job you’re applying for. This section should include both hard technical skills (specific software and design techniques) and soft skills that demonstrate your ability to work effectively in a professional environment.

Regularly update this section based on the job requirements you’re targeting. Many Australian employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for specific keywords, so including relevant skills mentioned in the job description can help your resume get noticed.

Visual Designer Resume Skills (Hard Skills)

• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Sketch and Figma for UI/UX design
• Typography and layout design
• Colour theory and application
• Print production and prepress knowledge
• HTML/CSS basics
• Photography and photo manipulation
• Vector graphics and illustration
• Brand identity development
• Digital marketing asset creation
• Motion graphics (After Effects)
• 3D design software (Cinema 4D, Blender)

Visual Designer Resume Skills (Soft Skills)

• Creative problem-solving
• Client communication and presentation
• Project management and organisation
• Team collaboration and leadership
• Attention to detail and quality control
• Time management and deadline adherence
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Critical thinking and design analysis
• Constructive feedback reception
• Cultural sensitivity and inclusive design
• Research and trend analysis
• Mentoring and knowledge sharing

How to pick the best Visual Designer skills:

1. Review the job description carefully and identify the specific skills mentioned by the employer
2. Match your skills to the role requirements, prioritising those that appear multiple times
3. Include a mix of technical and soft skills to show you’re well-rounded
4. Focus on skills you can confidently demonstrate with examples from your work experience
5. Consider including emerging skills that show you’re staying current with industry trends
6. Limit your list to the most relevant skills rather than including everything you’ve ever learned

Visual Designer Resume Examples [Skills]

Should I Add Bonus Sections to My Visual Designer Resume?

Additional sections can significantly strengthen your visual designer resume, especially in the competitive Australian market. These sections help differentiate you from other candidates and provide more context about your professional development and commitment to the field. However, only include sections that add genuine value and are relevant to your target roles.

Valuable additional sections for visual designers include: Professional certifications (Adobe Certified Expert, Google Analytics), relevant awards and recognition, professional association memberships (AGDA, DIA), conference attendance or speaking engagements, volunteer design work for nonprofits, languages (particularly valuable in multicultural Australian cities), and notable personal projects or side businesses.

Visual Designer Resume Examples [Other Sections]

Tip: You can also include relevant personal projects, freelance work, or design challenges you’ve completed. These show initiative and passion for design beyond your regular employment. Consider adding links to specific portfolio pieces or case studies if space allows.

How to write a Visual Designer Resume Objective or Resume Summary

A strong professional summary is your elevator pitch—a concise 3-4 line statement that captures your experience level, key skills, and what you bring to the table. For visual designers, this section should highlight your creative abilities, technical expertise, and any notable achievements or specialisations. Focus on outcomes and impact rather than just listing skills.

Key elements to include: years of experience, primary areas of expertise, notable achievements with metrics, and 1-2 key skills or qualities that set you apart. Tailor this section for each application, incorporating keywords from the job description while maintaining authenticity to your actual experience and capabilities.

Visual Designer Resume Summary Examples

For entry-level positions, focus on a resume objective that emphasises your enthusiasm, relevant education, and transferable skills. Since you may not have extensive professional experience, highlight internships, academic projects, freelance work, or volunteer design experience.

Entry-Level Visual Designer Resume Summary Examples

How to Update Your LinkedIn Profile When Updating Your Visual Designer Resume

In Australia’s competitive job market, LinkedIn has become an essential tool for career advancement, with over 85% of recruiters using the platform to source candidates. When you update your visual designer resume, it’s crucial to simultaneously update your LinkedIn profile to maintain consistency and maximise your professional visibility. Your LinkedIn profile should complement your resume while taking advantage of the platform’s unique features like media uploads, longer-form content, and networking opportunities.

LinkedIn offers visual designers unique advantages that a traditional resume cannot provide. You can showcase your work through media uploads, engage with the design community through posts and comments, and build valuable professional relationships. The platform’s algorithm also favours active users, so maintaining an updated and engaging profile can significantly increase your visibility to potential employers and collaborators.

LinkedIn Headline Optimisation for Visual Designers

Your LinkedIn headline is prime real estate—it appears in search results and gives viewers their first impression of your professional identity. Unlike your resume, which typically lists your current job title, your LinkedIn headline should be optimised for searchability and impact. Include your role, key skills, and value proposition within the 120-character limit.

LinkedIn Summary vs Resume Summary: Key Differences

While your resume summary should be concise and achievement-focused, your LinkedIn summary can be more conversational and personality-driven. You have up to 2,600 characters to tell your professional story, explain your design philosophy, and connect with your audience on a more personal level. This is particularly important in the Australian market, where cultural fit and personality are highly valued by employers.

Use your LinkedIn summary to expand on points from your resume, include your design philosophy, mention specific Australian projects or clients (where appropriate), and include a call-to-action encouraging viewers to check out your portfolio or connect. Write in first person and maintain a professional yet approachable tone that reflects Australian workplace culture.

Showcasing Visual Designer Experience on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s experience section allows for much more detail than your resume. Take advantage of this by expanding your bullet points into short paragraphs, adding context about projects, and most importantly, uploading visual examples of your work. For each role, include 2-3 key achievements with metrics, but also describe your process, challenges overcome, and lessons learned.

Use LinkedIn’s media upload feature to showcase relevant work samples, case studies, or project outcomes. This visual element is crucial for designers and can significantly impact how potential employers perceive your capabilities. Ensure any uploaded work complies with client confidentiality agreements and presents your skills in the best light.

LinkedIn Skills and Endorsements for Visual Designers

LinkedIn allows you to list up to 50 skills, but focus on your top 10-15 most relevant abilities. Prioritise skills that appear frequently in job descriptions for roles you’re targeting. The order matters—your top 3 skills are displayed most prominently, so choose strategically. Consider skills like “Adobe Creative Suite,” “Brand Identity Design,” “Digital Marketing,” and “Visual Communication.”

Actively seek endorsements from colleagues, clients, and collaborators. These social proof elements can significantly boost your profile’s credibility. Consider taking LinkedIn skill assessments for your key competencies—passing these assessments adds a “verified” badge to your skills and can improve your search ranking within LinkedIn’s algorithm.

LinkedIn Profile Tips for Australian Visual Designers

Tailor your LinkedIn presence for the Australian market by including location-specific keywords (Sydney design, Melbourne creative agency, Australian brands), engaging with local design communities and groups like AGDA (Australian Graphic Design Association), and connecting with Australian design professionals and potential employers. Share insights about Australian design trends, comment on local industry news, and participate in discussions about the Australian creative landscape.

Optimise your profile for Australian recruiters by using local industry terminology, mentioning familiarity with Australian business culture and consumer preferences, and highlighting any experience with iconic Australian brands or local market campaigns. Consider joining LinkedIn groups focused on Australian creative industries and regularly engage with content from Australian design leaders and agencies.

Creating an outstanding visual designer resume is just the first step in your job search journey. Your resume should work in tandem with a compelling cover letter that tells your professional story and demonstrates your written communication skills. Consider exploring our cover letter guide to complete your application package.

Ready to put your new resume to work? Start browsing visual designer opportunities on Seek and LinkedIn Australia to find roles that match your skills and career goals. Remember, each application should be tailored to the specific role and company—use the foundation you’ve built with this guide to customise your approach for maximum impact.

For additional career resources and industry insights, visit the Australian Graphic Design Association and Design Institute of Australia websites, where you can access professional development opportunities, industry news, and networking events to support your visual design career in Australia.