Resume

Narrative Designer Resume Example & Writing Guide

Use this Narrative Designer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.

Narrative designers are tasked with creating and maintaining the story of a game. They work closely with other designers, artists, programmers, producers, and even customers to create a compelling narrative that will engage players and help them become emotionally invested in the game.

If you’re passionate about storytelling and want to contribute to the creation of compelling narratives, consider a career as a narrative designer. And to help you land your dream job as quickly as possible, here are some tips and an example resume for reference when writing yours.

David Moore
Houston, TX | (123) 456-7891 | [email protected]
Summary

Creative storyteller with experience in video game development and interactive media. Passionate about using design to transport people into new worlds and create meaningful connections. Experienced in team leadership and working with a wide range of stakeholders to develop narratives that resonate with players.

Education
Southern Methodist University Jun '10
B.A. in English
Experience
Company A, Narrative Designer Jan '17 – Current
  • Collaborated with the team to create a compelling narrative that supports the game’s vision and enhances player experience.
  • Wrote dialogues, quests, mission briefings, emails, etc., following established design principles for video games (e.g., pacing).
  • Reviewed work of other writers and designers to ensure consistency in tone and style across all content created by the team.
  • Worked closely with level designers to implement story elements into levels and missions as well as provide feedback on gameplay mechanics from a narrative perspective.
  • Provided creative input during brainstorming sessions regarding various aspects of the game including characters, locations, enemies, weapons, abilities/powers, etc..
Company B, Narrative Designer Jan '12 – Dec '16
  • Collaborated with team of writers and designers to create compelling storylines for video games
  • Created detailed character profiles, including backstories and motivations that informed in-game dialogue and interactions
  • Developed branching narratives based on player decisions, which required balancing game difficulty with narrative complexity
  • Ensured all written content was clear, concise, grammatically correct and consistent with the game’s tone
  • Reviewed existing scripts for continuity errors or inconsistencies before submitting final versions to developers
Company C, Graphic Designer Jan '09 – Dec '11
  • Developed and designed marketing collateral, layouts, logos, typography, color palette development; editorial images to meet specific objectives with a focus on enhancing the brand’s image.
  • Managed design projects through research, collaboration of stakeholders (both internal & external), concept exploration, visual communication strategies & production based on deadlines.
  • Used applications such as Photoshop or Illustrator to create designs using elements such as color palettes, typefaces, imagery and various other effects for print materials and digital media to build compelling messages that reflect our company values and mission.
Skills

Industry Knowledge: Storytelling, Dialogue, User Experience, Level Design, Cinematography, Storyboarding, Character Development, Plotting, Scenario Writing, Narrative Design
Technical Skills: Unity, Maya, Blender, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office Suite
Soft Skills: Communication, Collaboration, Leadership, Teamwork, Problem-Solving

How to Write a Narrative Designer Resume

Here’s how to write a resume of your own.

Write Compelling Bullet Points

When you’re writing bullet points, it can be tempting to simply list your responsibilities. But that’s not enough to make a strong impression. Instead, you should use your bullet points to tell a story about your work.

For example, rather than saying you “managed social media accounts,” you could say you “increased Twitter followers by 20% in 6 months by creating daily content plans and collaborating with team of writers.”

The second bullet point is much stronger because it provides specific details about what you did and the results of your work.

Identify and Include Relevant Keywords

When you apply for a narrative designer role, your resume will likely be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for specific terms related to the job, like “narrative” or “character development” to determine whether your skills are a match for the job you’ve applied to. If you don’t have enough of the right keywords on your resume, the ATS might discard your application before a human ever sees it.

The best way to make sure you have the right keywords on your resume is to think about the most important skills and qualities that are required for the job you’re applying to and include them throughout all sections of your resume. You can also use this list of common narrative designer keywords as a starting point:

  • Narrative Design
  • Storytelling
  • Tabletop Roleplaying
  • Videogames
  • Creative Writing
  • Writing
  • Dramatic Writing
  • Fiction
  • Videogame Writing
  • Narration
  • Fiction Writing
  • Roleplaying
  • Dialogue
  • Interactive Narrative
  • Videogame Design
  • Game Writing
  • Copywriting
  • Video Production
  • Dramaturgy
  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Video Editing
  • Playwriting
  • Film
  • Writing for Video
  • After Effects
  • Video Production Skills
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Scenography
  • Theater
  • Video Games

Showcase Your Technical Skills

As a narrative designer, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs that are essential to the job. These might include word processing programs like Microsoft Word and Google Docs, as well as design programs like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Additionally, you should be familiar with project management tools like Trello and Asana, as well as social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Recruiters are also looking for narrative designers who have a solid understanding of game design principles and are familiar with popular game engines like Unity and Unreal. So if you have experience with any of these programs or platforms, be sure to list them on your resume.

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