Designers with creative resumés may find they stay one step ahead of the rest in this fiercely competitive industry. Though most creatives will have a killer design portfolio, with so much talent around it's worth pushing your creativity even further.
Unusual creative strategies will help you to get noticed, and they can be used to give your resumé an edge in the hunt for employment. If you're in need of some inspiration for your own CV, here are some of the best creative resumés out there to get your creative juices flowing.
If you just want a starting point rather than creating the whole thing from scratch, then check out our free resume templates (opens in new tab) post. And once you've made your creative resume all sparkly and new, head over to our brilliant design jobs (opens in new tab) board to find your next career challenge.
01. Rikhard Hormia
Designer Rikhard Hormia, based in Helsinki, created this Portfolio Mailer (opens in new tab) so he would have something to carry with him when he went to job interviews – "a small and neat way of presenting what I am all about", he says. The package contains a business card, a CV and a laser-engraved USB stick containing selected works from his portfolio. It's a beautifully put together package, with some great attention to detail such as the vector image of Hormia's face and the well-thought out typography.
02. Kenny Barela
This one's an oldie but a goodie. Back in 2010, designer Kenny Barela (opens in new tab) put together this self-promotion package to attract potential clients when he moved to a new city. Containing a screenprinted T-shirt, infographic, and a cover letter showing off his sharp copywriting skills, this tube bundle demonstrates both his creative skills and his sense of humour.
All his hard work paid off big time. The hand-delivered or mailed package lead to Barela being hired as an art director at Motive, plus it was honoured as the Best of Show winner in the 2010 HOW Promotion Design Awards. We wonder if in the future he'll update this resumé to include its fantastic performance...
03. Vidar Olufsen Møller
Keep this to yourself, right, but freelance graphic designer Vidar Olufsen Møller (opens in new tab) designed a creative resume that looks like a 'Top Secret' report (opens in new tab). Just like Barela, Møller put this package together when he settled in a new city and had to start drumming up clients.
After a phone call with a design studio who said they would file him for later, Møller couldn't get the idea of old and dusty filing cabinets out of his head. This lead to the creation of his brown folder resume that looks like it should be exchanged in a car park by a pair of shifty looking spies wearing trench coats.
Inside you'll find a CV booklet, documents that look like they've been filled out with a typewriter, and even Møller's fingerprints. In a nice final touch, everything is held in place with paperclips.
04. Victor Rodriguez
Colombian art director and designer Victor Rodriguez, also known as Vimarovi (opens in new tab), has an appreciation for lots of different aspects of graphic design, including corporate identity, packaging and product design. So what better way to showcase all these interests than with a resumé that brings together all these elements (opens in new tab)?
That's just what Rodriguez has done with the innovative VICK cereal box. Designed to look like an everyday cereal box, this CV humorously weaves his work history and creative skills into the design. Instead of ingredients, hungry clients will find information about his personality, strengths and previous employment, and if anyone needed any proof of Rodriguez's claims, the packaging speaks for itself.
05. Andy Morris
Art director, artist and designer Andy Morris (opens in new tab) caught the design industry's attention for all the right reasons with this fantastically creative resumé. Rather than sticking with the traditional paper design portfolio, Morris commissioned a LEGO minifigure in his own likeness, complete with a tiny laptop in one hand and a mini-CV in the other. To update prospective clients with the information they need, the packaging features a bitesized run-down of Morris' skills, plus contact details.
06. Pierre-Marie Postel
Graphic designer and illustrator Pierre-Marie Postel (opens in new tab) – also known as Paiheme – decided to use his CV to show off exactly what he's best at. His creative resumé (opens in new tab) displays his impressive illustration style, and mimics a Japanese print advert.
It's not style at the expense of substance, however – this CV includes plenty of key information, plus some quirky additions such as character designs to show off Postel's personality. The monochrome colour palette ensures it doesn't become overwhelming.
07. Brennan Gleason
Interaction designer Brennan Gleason (opens in new tab) was nearing the end of university and needed to get his name known by potential employers. To do so in style, he brewed up a batch of blonde ale, packaged it up in a neat cardboard carrier, and printed his CV on the back (opens in new tab). The idea being that prospective employers could sit down for a quick drink and peruse Gleason's design skills at the same time.
08. Curriculum 3D
Inspired by this great-looking flat CV (opens in new tab) from Jimmy Raheriarisoa, Paris-based art director and motion designer Benjamin Benhaim set to work and made this stunning 3D rendered resumé (opens in new tab). Created using Cinema 4D, Octane and After Effects, it covers all the bases and features plenty of playful touches, and each image took around seven minutes to render. Time well spent!
09. Robynne Redgrave
This portfolio mail package (opens in new tab) created by Robynne Redgrave, a Canadian graphic designer based in Helsinki, is a real attention-grabber. It contains not only her CV but a whole load of stuff including a hand-bound portfolio book, a letter of intent, application form and certificates.
10. Robby Leonardi
Robby Leonardi is a multidisciplinary designer based in New York City. Specialising in illustration, graphic design, animation, and front end development, he has worked with the likes of Fox, Speed TV, FX Networks, myNetworkTV and G4. His incredibly fun interactive design resumé (opens in new tab) will have you scrolling for hours.
11. Julia Miceli
Julia Miceli – a graphic designer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina – managed to hit all the right notes with her creative resume (opens in new tab). It's simple compared to many of the other in this list, but still oozes personality. The bold orange colour is unusual and eye-catching, and there isn't an element that hasn't been carefully art directed.
Miceli has also considered practical aspects: the CV is a standard A4 size, but sits in a wallet that shows it off to its full potential, and there's a neat slot that holds a business card the viewer can pop out and keep.
12. Zhi Liang
Singapore-based student Chen Zhi Liang was set a task by his graphic design tutor to create an inventive resumé that would make him stand out from the crowd. The semester-end assignment was to create an infographic resumé and we think he's come up trumps with this design (opens in new tab).
Showcasing the all-important qualifications and skills, the resumé is eye-catching without being overwhelming. Liang's minimal approach is perfect for an overcrowded job market. You can now also buy this template (opens in new tab).
13. Ed Hamilton
When London-based copywriter Ed Hamilton was out of work, he decided to put his time to good use and develop a creative way to stand out to prospective employers.
Using Google Maps' My Maps feature, Hamilton mapped his resumé (opens in new tab), using different coloured pins to create personalised placemarkers, each accompanied by explanatory text. The brilliant design includes pins for where Hamilton lives, his interests and his previous employment.
Related articles:
- The wrong way to build a portfolio (opens in new tab)
- The 21 best business card designs (opens in new tab)
- Boost your illustration career with these 6 tips (opens in new tab)
