Creative Resume Examples: 5 Best Samples & Why They Work

Many creative workers may find it hard to write a resume, even if they have experience in many different areas, like mural painting, putting on art events, or making video games. This is because their work experience doesn’t fit the usual pattern.

However, learning how to translate these experiences into a resume will help you stand out from other applicants. Most hiring managers glance at resumes, spending less than ten seconds taking in the overall information.

So, if you want to get your dream job, here are five best creative resume examples.

Creative Resume Examples

There are many different positions in the creative field, and each resume covers a unique job to help you understand how to showcase your skills. You’ll want to include relevant work history along with projects and accreditations. Your education can also help you land a job.

While you could hire a resume writing service, there’s no need to spend that money when you can learn how to do the work yourself. Check out these examples and see how you can create your own creative resume that stands out from the crowd.

Entry-Level Creative Resume Example

Anyone getting started on a new career path may struggle with creating a strong resume. You don’t have years of work experience to fall back on, so you might feel unsure about what to include on your resume.

In general, it’s ideal to focus on your education, especially if you’re a recent graduate.

People changing careers and starting over with entry-level positions in a new field can present their previous work experience in a way that shows creative thought.

They can also highlight their skills. This entry-level example will help you understand what skills and projects you should show potential employers.

Work Experience 1: Graphic Design Internship at Major Marketing Firm

• Met with ten clients who needed websites
• Brainstormed three mock-up sites for each client
• Made design changes based on client feedback
• Designed and implemented live sites for six clients
• Created custom logos for five clients

Work Experience 2: Social Media Intern at City Community College

• Worked with the public relations department to design social media posts
• Created visuals that aligned with the college’s logo and branding
• Earned approval for 15 posts over the course of one semester
• Helped revise the color story for the college
• Recorded video footage for new college commercials

Project Experience

• Submitted a logo to the City Community College contest
• Served as the social media manager for the City University chapter of Gamma Epsilon Tau

Skills

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Collaborative brainstorming
• Feedback interpretation and revision
• Social media upkeep
• Web design

Education

• Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Arts from City Community College
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from City University

Licenses & Accreditations

• Certified Advertising Specialist
• Web Graphics and Multimedia Certification from the International Web Association

Why This Resume Works

This resume works because, while the applicant doesn’t have any professional work experience in the field, they share details about their internships that position them as someone willing to jump in to help the company and learn on the job. This flexibility can make the difference between a hiring manager calling you for an interview or not.

The applicant also shares their education, both at the community college and university level. They go above and beyond that basic education to also get additional certifications related to their interests, namely advertising and web design.

Though they’re just starting in the field, they already have goals in mind and are forging a path to reach their dreams.

If you’re looking for an entry-level creative position, consider work you’ve done in other jobs that could be creative. For example, maybe you helped write a newsletter for your organization or created displays in your grocery store role.

You can highlight certain aspects of these jobs to show how you used creativity to stand out from your coworkers.

Creative Director Resume Example

A creative director typically oversees the entire art department and manages the visual output of a company. Any business can use a creative director because they can work in the marketing department, help design and maintain the official website, or develop printed materials like brochures, newsletters, and magazines for public consumption.

There’s plenty of potential to showcase your work history and skills in a creative director resume. This position calls for creativity, of course, but you can also show how you work with a team and can manage other artists, salespeople, and marketers. For this job, leadership experience can be just as beneficial as any creative history you include on the resume.

Work Experience 1: Creative Director at Marketing Firm

• Designed 50 websites for clients in multiple industries
• Supervised 20 graphic designers and delegated design projects
• Collaborated with the sales department to ensure marketing efforts resulted in at least 50% increased revenue per campaign
• Made connections at major news outlets like Huffington Post, Vogue, Rolling Stone, and People to use as advertising partners
• Increased art department staffing by 15% in three years

Work Experience 2: Director of Creative Services at Retail Store

• Spearheaded corporate initiatives to create social media profiles with daily activity
• Recorded engaging video content for commercial footage and online posts
• Oversaw 100 creative projects to further develop the company’s branding
• Redesigned the website and boosted SEO across the board
• Managed 15 unique marketing campaigns across online and offline platforms

Project Experience

• Oversaw a team of five student interns every academic year at Marketing Firm
• Created a social media presence from scratch and built it up to a million followers for Retail Store
• Designed a logo and uniform branding for the local elementary school’s basketball team

Skills

• Creating and implementing communications plans
• Marketing skills regarding ad campaigns
• Project management across the company
• Teamwork and leadership over various departments
• Visual communication

Education

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from City University
• Master of Business Administration in Marketing from City University

Why This Resume Works

This resume works because it’s full of details that fill in the applicant’s work experience. They’ve had two roles as creative directors, but both positions involved drastically different tasks, so the bullet points help show the hiring manager what they can handle. They also have other leadership roles, such as working with a local school and overseeing interns.

The education is also noteworthy on this resume because the applicant has both an arts and marketing background. Since the creative director has a leadership role, a degree relating to a business can go a long way to make you stand out from other applicants. The business industry is very different from the creative, so combining the two makes you well-rounded.

The skills section of this resume also shows how the applicant can handle both business and artistic duties. There’s a balance of creative skills and productive points that tell the hiring manager that this person is capable of managing themselves and others.

Creative Graphic Designer Resume Example

A graphic designer can do various tasks for any company. They can work for a real estate firm, taking photos of properties and designing the website buyers scroll to find their dream homes.

They can work for a marketing company, designing ads and logos. They can work for a publishing company, creating book covers and doing book layouts.

Graphic designers typically have many relevant skills relating to art, design, color stories, advertising, photography, and editing.

With that in mind, you should spotlight your specific skills and back each example with data or a robust portfolio. Hiring managers will want to see your designs and get a sense of your work ethic from your resume.

Work Experience 1: Freelance Graphic Designer

• Worked with 12 unique clients to create an online presence from scratch, including logos, branding, color schemes, websites, and social media profiles
• Created a print marketing campaign for a national retail store chain
• Maintained a professional social media presence with one million followers on Instagram and Twitter
• Recorded 20 art process videos that have over one million views each
• Created logo mock-ups for 25 companies that wanted to revitalize their branding

Work Experience 2: Graphic Designer at a Printing Company

• Creating logos and branding for 50 customers
• Designed t-shirts and screen-printed patterns
• Used Adobe Creative Suite daily, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
• Printed custom letterhead for 25 different professional clients
• Designed the company’s online store and accompanying social media profiles

Project Experience

• Designed 12 book covers for Small Indie Publisher, Inc
• Taught introductory graphic design workshops to teens at the Public Library

Skills

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Animation and video editing
• Independently manage tasks and deadlines
• Photography and photo editing
• Teamwork and collaboration

Education

• Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Arts, Production from City Community College
• Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from City University

Licenses & Accreditations

• Member of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers
• Member of the International Council of Design

Why This Resume Works

This resume works because it shows that the applicant can handle their own tasks and deadlines when working as a freelancer, which takes a lot of dedication. They’re serious about that role, proven by their professional accreditations. However, they want to work as part of a team, and their skills reinforce that attitude.

They have a variety of skills, from photography to animation to straightforward design using the Adobe Creative Suite. Hiring managers find these skills attractive because it shows that the applicant can handle various duties. They won’t have to hire a separate video editor because this applicant can do it all.

Professional Creative Resume Example

Professional creatives may have many different outlets in the artistic industry, so they need to find the best resume format to showcase these experiences. If you’ve done a lot of creative work on your own, you might want one of your work history categories to present yourself as a freelance artist.

With that information separate, you can then use another section for your more professional roles. This format will give the hiring manager a clear picture of your job experience plus your creative output, which will help them understand how you’ll fit into their company.

Work Experience 1: Self-Employed Artist

• Painted a 12′ x 12′ outdoor mural for the Downtown Artist Collective
• Taught a sculpture class at the City Community College for six semesters
• Hosted an art show at City Gallery, selling all paintings before the closing date
• Designed the sets for five plays at Playhouse on the Square
• Curated group art shows for the Downtown Artist Collective at three new galleries

Work Experience 2: Marketing Manager at Design Firm

• Created online ad campaigns for 15 companies using social media, paid ads, and email newsletters
• Increased page rankings for five clients, bringing them to the top result by implementing on-page and off-page SEO
• Designed five websites for clients, plus one complete redesign for a global company
• Printed ad campaigns for use on postcards, mailers, brochures, billboards, and bus stop displays
• Worked with a global affiliate startup to develop a logo, branding, color scheme, landing page, and social media profiles from scratch

Project Experience

• Founding member of the local group, Downtown Artist Collective
• Volunteer to teach painting classes at the local dementia daycare for the elderly

Skills

• Driven and inspired to produce unique creative work
• Give back to the community with classes and volunteering
• Help other artists find support and creative outlets
• Time management and deadline adherence
• Visual communication

Education

• Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography from City University
• Master of Fine Art in Creative Writing from City University
• Summer at Iowa Writers’ Workshop

Licenses & Accreditations

• Member of the Professional Photographers of America
• Member of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs

Why This Resume Works

This resume works because it shows a good balance between creative work and professional duties. The applicant is clearly an artist at heart, and they list those personal artistic accomplishments first. Even though that category is more personal, they still show initiative and teamwork in how they collaborate and support other artists, which is a valuable work skill.

Their education and professional memberships further position them as a flexible person who explores their interests. Creative writing and photography are great artistic skills, but they’re also necessary for marketing when you need stunning visuals and a compelling story to hook your target audience.

Those skills and experience play nicely with the applicant’s experience as a professional marketer. They include specific data relating to marketing tasks and the payoff of each job, so the hiring manager for the new role can see their capability.

Creative Artist Resume Example

A creative artist’s resume might be the freest example on this list. They have more experience on the artistic side of things instead of the professional side, which often relates more to marketing, ads, and graphic design.

This type of resume might not have as clear-cut categories as some of the professional positions, so you can be flexible with your layout and approach.

You might choose to list things chronologically instead of grouping them by work experience. Create a draft of your resume first and see what layout makes sense.

Relevant Experience

• Collaborated with six artists to create a storyboard for a Disney video game
• Designed eight characters for an innovative mobile app game that brought in one million players in the first month
• Created a website from scratch for the local Public Library system with new library cards that matched the online interface
• Produced four billboard designs for Retail Store, rotated quarterly, which led to a 50% increase in revenue over the year
• Brainstormed logo designs for three global companies in a one-year period, taking the designs from ideas to full implementation ready for corporate branding

Project Experience

• Pitched, revised, and painted a mural for the City Tourist Center on Highway 51
• Partnered with the Public Library to host quarterly art shows in the branch lobbies

Skills

• Brainstorming to ensure the art meets the initial purpose
• Community-centered in artistic design
• Experience with fine arts, graphic design, and photography
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Thinking beyond the box for large-scale projects

Education

• Associate of Art History from City Community College
• Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting from City University

Licenses & Accreditations

• Member of Americans for the Arts
• Member of the Society of Illustrators

Why This Resume Works

This resume works because it shows the vast skills and experience of this artist. With no strict professional background to fall back on, the chronological list of related projects helps the hiring manager see the scope of their typical work.

Though some of the artistic projects position the applicant as someone with professional experience, they weren’t an official employee of these organizations but also weren’t purely a freelancer. Choosing to present the information as a general gathering of experience guarantees the hiring manager sees the work for what it is instead of who asked for it.

The projects and skills also present this applicant as someone who’s willing to try anything and work with others for a greater cause. While they follow their artistic sensibilities, they don’t get fixated on their vision and ignore the initial cause. This factor shows them as someone who can easily be part of a team in a more professional setting.

Common Skills & Action Verbs To Include on a Creative Resume

When you think of skills to include on your creative resume, you want to capture your talents and experience. Using strong words will help you convey your passion for the industry.

These verbs to list will make you seem dynamic and engaging to the hiring manager.

Common Skills for Creative Resumes

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Animation
• Brainstorming
• Branding
• Creative problem solving
• Designing
• Experimenting
• Fine arts
• Graphic design
• Lateral thinking
• Marketing
• Mind mapping
• Observing
• Photography
• Product design
• Storyboarding
• Typography
• Video editing
• Visual communication
• Web design

Common Action Verbs for Creative Resumes

• Built
• Conceptualized
• Created
• Customized
• Designed
• Drafted
• Initiated
• Integrated
• Launched
• Originated
• Piloted
• Revitalized
• Shaped
• Spearheaded

Tips for Writing a Better Creative Resume

You’ve seen five quality examples of creative resumes, but these tips will help you polish your final document so it’s ready for the job search.

While many of the standard resume-writing tips apply in the creative field, you also have some potential to color outside the lines and make your resume better reflect who you are as an artist.

Format Carefully

Format your resume carefully without trying to cram too much information on a page or two. Edit your experience, skills, and projects to highlight the best of your history. Only include the things you’d want to brag about in an interview, things that make you stand out as the best choice for the job.

Use a clear font and line spacing that makes your resume easy to read. Don’t use too many different fonts for heading and list text; instead, consider using a larger size for headers and bold for certain aspects that demand additional attention.

Consider Color

While the general rule of thumb for resumes is to keep it simple and basic so your accomplishments stand out, when you’re applying for creative jobs, you can have a little fun with the resume. Consider adding color elements to the margins or header. If you have a personal website, add the logo to your letterhead and use the same colors throughout the document.

Some creative resumes go outside the box and use color and graphics to share the same information as a bulleted list might. For example, instead of saying you have five years of mural experience, make a pie chart that shows that skill in relation to your overall art experience. The color and unique design will stand out and make hiring managers take a second look.

Include a Portfolio

Many creative job positions will request a portfolio, but even if they don’t, you can ensure the hiring manager gets a taste of your style. You can include small samples of your artwork around your resume or design your own letterhead or stationery to stand out. Some designers make their resume look like art by using a comic or trading card format.

You can also include a QR code linking to your online portfolio. Since many people include their personal website in the header contact information, a separate QR code can encourage the hiring manager to check you out with a simple scan from their phone. Remember, QR codes don’t have to be square, so consider getting creative to make yours stand out.

Proofread

The final step of your resume writing process should be to thoroughly review the resume. If possible, have a trusted friend or family member look it over as well. It’s easy to overlook errors when you’re so close to the document, so another pair of eyes might catch a mistake.

Consider running the document through software like Grammarly, which will catch spelling errors and subject-verb disagreements. This process will help you seem more professional since many hiring managers might throw out a resume as soon as they spot an error.

Frequently Asked Questions

You’ve learned a lot about crafting a creative resume, but you might still have some unanswered questions. Read on to better prepare yourself for the job search.

Similar Resume Types to Reference

These creative resumes give you an idea of possible formats, but there are other related jobs in the field. Check out these examples to understand how you can present yourself for multiple positions.

• Graphic Design Resume: Companies need graphic designers for many positions, so learning how to showcase your skills will make you more appealing to countless jobs.
• Entry Level Resume: When you’re just starting out in the industry, you need to harness your education and skills to show employers your full potential.
• Photographer Resume: A photographer’s portfolio showcases their skill, but a quality resume can help them land a job with an established company.

Wrapping Up

These five examples of creative resumes give you a jumping-off point for your job search. If you know anyone looking for a creative job, share this article with them so they’ll stand out from other applicants. Leave a comment below and let us know if these tips helped you land your dream job.