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Resume example

Graphic designer resume example

A graphic designer in France (graphiste, or designer graphique) gives visual form to a message: a logo and its charter, a poster for a festival, the layout of a magazine, packaging for a food brand, a set of banners for a campaign.

The work starts with a brief, often vague, from a client or an art director, followed by research, sketches and two or three directions to present. Then come rounds of corrections, preparing files for the printer with the right colour profiles, bleeds and fonts, or exporting web formats in many sizes. In an agency, you may work on several clients a day under an art director. In-house at a company or local authority, you handle everything from the annual report to event signage. Many graphic designers work freelance, alone with the client, which adds quoting, invoicing and negotiation to the job.

Resume example

[First name Last name]

Graphic Designer | Visual Identity, Print and Editorial Design

[City] · [phone] · [email]

Profile

Graphiste with [x] years in agency and freelance work. I design visual identities for SMEs and cultural institutions, handle print production with printers, and follow projects from brief to delivery. Comfortable with editorial layout and packaging.

Experience

Graphic Designer, [Agency], [City]

[month year] to present

  • Designed visual identities for [x] clients, from first sketches to full brand guidelines.
  • Laid out a quarterly magazine of [x] pages and managed proofs with the printer.
  • Created packaging for a range of [product] and adapted it for three sizes.
  • Produced campaign visuals for print and social media, including short animated versions.
  • Set up template files that let the client's team produce simple documents themselves.

Resume headlines

  • Graphic Designer | Visual Identity, Print and Editorial Design
  • Graphiste | Packaging, Point-of-sale Material, Prepress
  • Graphic Designer and Motion Designer | Campaigns, Social Media, Web

Summaries for your profile

Entry level

Graphic designer with a DN MADe in graphic design and a work-study year in a communication agency in [City]. I designed posters, brochures and social media visuals for local clients and prepared print files for the studio.

Experienced

Graphiste with [x] years in agency and freelance work. I design visual identities for SMEs and cultural institutions, handle print production with printers, and follow projects from brief to delivery. Comfortable with editorial layout and packaging.

Career change

Former printer's prepress operator moving into graphic design after a training in visual communication. I know exactly what happens to a file once it leaves the studio, which helps me design projects that print as planned.

Tips

  • Your portfolio matters more than the CV: link it at the top.
  • Keep the CV layout well designed but easy to read; recruiters scan it quickly.
  • Show a few projects with the brief, your choices and the final result.
  • Mention printing and production knowledge, which is often missing in junior profiles.
  • State whether you are open to freelance or salaried work.

Mistakes to avoid

  • A visually spectacular CV that applicant tracking systems cannot read.
  • A portfolio with too many projects of uneven quality.
  • Presenting group school projects without saying what you did.
  • No mention of the software level or of prepress skills.

Working as a graphic designer in France

Graphic design is not regulated in France. Training paths include the DN MADe (diplôme national des métiers d'art et du design, three years), the DSAA, applied arts schools such as Estienne, Duperré or the Écoles nationales supérieures d'art, and private schools. Many graphic designers are freelance, either as micro-entrepreneurs or under the artistes-auteurs social security scheme, depending on the nature of their work; check with URSSAF which applies to you. Portfolios carry more weight than diplomas. Search for « graphiste », « designer graphique », « infographiste », « graphiste PAO », « directeur artistique junior » or « motion designer ».

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Frequently asked questions

What should a graphic designer's portfolio contain?

Between eight and fifteen projects, chosen for the jobs you target. For each, explain the brief, the constraints and your choices in a few lines. Mix types (identity, print, digital) if you are applying to agencies, and show one complete project with all its applications rather than isolated visuals.

Should I send my CV as a PDF or a designed file?

Send a PDF with real text, not an image, so that recruiting software can read it. You can design it, but keep a clear hierarchy and standard fonts embedded. Add a simple version if you apply through a large company's online platform.

Is a French diploma important for graphic design jobs?

Employers look first at the portfolio. A recognised diploma, such as the DN MADe, the DSAA or a school of applied arts, helps a junior profile get an interview. Foreign degrees are accepted if the work is convincing.

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