Communications Designer Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Communications Designer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Communications designers are responsible for developing and designing the messaging that goes into an organization’s marketing materials, press releases, advertisements, websites, and more. They create compelling copy that gets people excited about your company—and drives them to take action.
It’s important for communications designers to have a solid understanding of the company or organization they’re working for, its products or services, and its target audience. They need to know what makes people tick—what inspires them, what scares them, and what makes them want to buy. And they need to understand how people consume information today. That means thinking mobile first and designing content that’s easy to digest in bite-sized chunks.
If you’re looking for a job in communications design but aren’t sure where to start your resume writing process, here are some tips plus an example to follow when writing yours.
How to Write a Communications Designer Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When it comes to writing bullet points, the more specific you can be, the better. Rather than saying you “designed marketing materials,” you could say that you “designed print ads for local businesses in the Greater Boston area, resulting in a 15% increase in click-through rates over the previous year.”
The second bullet point is much stronger because it provides specific details about what you did and the results of your work. It also includes a quantifiable result (15% increase in click-through rates).
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a communications designer role, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This system will scan your resume for certain keywords related to the job opening. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, you should include keywords on your resume that are commonly found in communications designer job postings. Here are a few examples:
- Logo Design
- Graphic Design
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Typography
- Web Design
- Page Layout
- Branding & Identity
- Brochures
- Illustration
- Graphics
- Photography
- Adobe Photoshop
- Corporate Identity
- Web Design & Development
- Branding
- Advertising
- Social Media
- Art Direction
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- After Effects
- After Effects
- Cinema 4D
- Cinema 4D
- Motion Graphics
- Animation
- Animation
- Video Production
- Cinema Tools
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a communications designer, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to create effective visuals. Some of the most commonly used programs are Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Sketch, and Figma. Additionally, you should have a solid understanding of color theory and typography.
Recruiters are also looking for designers who are familiar with user experience (UX) principles and have experience designing for web and mobile platforms. So if you have experience with any of these areas, be sure to list them on your resume.