Book Designer Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Book Designer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Book designers work with authors and other publishing professionals to create book covers and interior layouts that effectively promote and sell books. Their work is seen by millions of readers every year, but many book designers are working behind the scenes without ever being recognized for their contributions.
If you’re looking for a career that allows you to flex your creativity while working on projects that are meaningful and relevant, book design might be the perfect fit for you. Follow these tips and resume example to write an outstanding book designer resume that will get you noticed by hiring managers at publishing companies everywhere.
How to Write a Book Designer Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When it comes to your resume, it’s important to be as specific as possible when describing your past experience. Rather than saying you “designed brochures,” you could say that you “designed brochures for nonprofit organization, including cover letter, resume, and portfolio, using InDesign and Photoshop to create clean, modern aesthetic that showcased client’s work in the best possible light.”
The second bullet point is much stronger because it provides more detail about what exactly you did and how you did it. It also provides an example of the end result of your work—in this case, a “clean, modern aesthetic.”
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you submit your resume for a book designer role, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. ATS programs rank resumes based on how many of the desired keywords are found within the document.
Because every employer has different needs, it’s important to use keywords that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. You can find these keywords by reading through the job posting and taking note of words or phrases that are repeatedly used.
When you’re ready to submit your resume, be sure to include common book designer keywords throughout all of the sections, especially in the work experience and skills sections. Here are a few examples:
- Book Design
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Graphic Design
- Logo Design
- Page Layout
- Brochures
- Advertising
- Adobe Photoshop
- Art Direction
- Typography
- Illustration
- Corporate Identity
- Web Design
- Printing
- Photography
- Branding
- Publishing
- SketchUp
- Magazine Design
- Page Layout & Design
- Spreads
- Corporate Design
- Flyer Design
- Book Production
- InDesign Scripting
- WordPress
- Print Design
- Pre-press
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a book designer, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to create the best possible design for your books. Some of the most commonly used programs are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator. You should also be familiar with Microsoft Word and Excel, as you will need to use these programs to create documents and spreadsheets.