What a graphic designer resume must show
This is a complete, editable sample for a graphic designer in Pune — seven years across consumer and publishing design, a portfolio link that is easy to find, and work described by what it changed. Open it, replace the details with yours, and export.
- A portfolio link, easy to find
- Design hiring in India is portfolio-led, and a link is effectively essential. Put it in the header and repeat it in the body as plain text, so it survives a forwarded resume. Behance or a personal site both work.
- The tools, named individually
- Indian studios name Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, InDesign and Figma specifically. CorelDRAW still appears widely in print and packaging work, so list it if you use it — and drop "Adobe Creative Suite" as a single line.
- Delivered work with its outcome
- Packaging ranges, campaign systems, identity work — each with what changed: SKU counts, turnaround, engagement. A portfolio shows the work; the resume has to show the result.
- Print and digital range
- Indian design roles span print, packaging and digital, and studios hire for breadth. Show the kinds of work you have shipped — packaging, social, email, editorial — not one narrow speciality.
- Production fluency
- Print-ready and packaging-ready files, dielines, prepress, press checks. Many designers work only on screen, and demonstrated production skill separates candidates for print and packaging roles.
- Your role on team work
- Design is collaborative. Say what you led, art-directed or contributed, and never present a team’s work — or a client’s unreleased work — as solely your own.
Graphic Designer-specific resume tips
Not generic advice — the things that move a graphic designer application forward.
Keep a resume, not a biodata
In India "biodata" is a document of personal details — date of birth, marital status, father’s name — and a "resume" is the professional one. Studios and agencies want the resume; provide a biodata only when an employer’s own form asks for it.
Put the portfolio URL front and centre
Indian design hiring is portfolio-led, so the link is the first thing a studio clicks. Put it in the header and repeat it in the body as plain text, so it still works when the resume is forwarded or printed.
Name the tools, CorelDRAW included
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and CorelDRAW is still the print-and-packaging stack in many Indian studios, with Figma now standard for digital teams. Name each tool you work in at a professional level; the suite name says nothing.
Show the range, print to digital
A Pune studio may hand you a packaging dieline in the morning and a social campaign set in the afternoon. Listing the kinds of work you have shipped — packaging, social, email, editorial — tells a hiring manager where you slot in.
Attach an outcome to the work
"Rebuilt packaging across 30+ SKUs, shortening production turnaround" or "built a campaign system used across social and print" says more than naming the software. Conversion and engagement lifts in the 10–30% range are credible when scoped to a project.
Show production fluency
Print-ready files, dielines, prepress and press checks are named in many Indian print roles and missing from many portfolios. If you can take artwork to press, say so — it widens the roles you fit.
Keep client and NDA work off the page
Do not name a client without permission, and keep unreleased or NDA work out entirely. Describe it by category — "a national retail brand" — and never present a team’s work as solely your own.
A4, one page
One page is the norm under about ten years of experience; two only if every line carries work and an outcome. Set it on A4, the standard paper size in India.
What gets graphic designer resumes rejected
Each of these reads as a red flag to the person doing the hiring.
No portfolio link
A design resume without a portfolio is set aside early — the work is the point, and Indian studios ask for the link first. A link that is hard to find, or not clickable, may as well not be there.
Tools listed as "Adobe Creative Suite"
One line for the whole suite tells a studio very little. Name Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDRAW, InDesign and Figma individually, and only the ones you genuinely work in.
Work with no stated role
Listing a team project as though you did it alone reads as a claim you cannot back. State your part — led, art-directed, contributed — or leave it off.
A biodata that adds nothing
A photograph, date of birth, marital status or father’s name belongs to the traditional biodata, not a private-sector design resume. It adds nothing a studio needs and invites bias.
Skill bars and icon ratings
"Photoshop 90%" is meaningless and tells a hiring manager nothing they can use. A list of the tools you work in professionally is stronger and reads as more confident.
Clients or work you are not cleared to show
Naming a client without permission, or showing unreleased work under NDA, is a professionalism and legal problem. Anonymise unless the work is public and you are cleared to credit it.
Graphic Designer resume FAQs
Should I send a resume or a biodata for a design job in India?
Send a resume, not a biodata. A biodata lists personal details — date of birth, marital status, father’s name — while a resume lists your work and portfolio. Studios and agencies want the resume; provide a biodata only when an employer’s form asks for one.
Source: Indeed India
Do I need a design degree to be a graphic designer in India?
No licence or degree is legally required. A B.Des or BFA is common but not mandatory, and a strong portfolio with the right tools matters more than the degree line for most studio and in-house roles.
Which tools should I list on an Indian graphic designer resume?
Name them individually: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and CorelDRAW for print and packaging, with Figma now standard for digital teams. CorelDRAW still appears widely in Indian print work, so list it if you use it.
How important is a portfolio link on an Indian design resume?
It is the first thing a studio clicks, and a resume without one is set aside early. Put the link in the header, repeat it in the body as plain text, and keep it current — Behance or a personal site both work.
Can I show client work on my resume or portfolio?
Only if you are cleared to. Name the client only with permission; otherwise anonymise — "a national retail brand" — and keep unreleased or NDA work off entirely. Never present a team’s work as solely your own.
How long should an Indian graphic designer resume be?
One page is the norm under about ten years of experience; two only if every line carries work and an outcome. Set it on A4, the standard paper size in India.
Plain-text version
Prefer to start from text? Copy this sample and paste it into any editor.
Rhea Kulkarni
Senior Graphic Designer
[email protected] | +91 90000 00004 | Pune, Maharashtra | rheakulkarni.example.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Senior graphic designer with 7 years in brand and campaign design for Indian consumer and publishing brands. Leads packaging and social design, and cut the studio’s regular asset turnaround by about a third. Portfolio: rheakulkarni.example.com
WORK EXPERIENCE
Senior Graphic Designer — FirstCry
Jun 2021 – Present | Pune, Maharashtra
Lead brand and campaign design for a consumer retail brand, from concept through production-ready files.
• Led packaging design across 30+ SKUs, standardising colour and type across the range.
• Built the campaign template set a six-person marketing team now ships from in Illustrator.
• Cut average asset turnaround from five days to two by standardising file handoff.
• Prepared print-ready and packaging-ready files with vendors and attended press checks.
• Mentored two junior designers and ran portfolio reviews for the studio.
Graphic Designer — Aptara
Jun 2019 – May 2021 | Pune, Maharashtra
Designed editorial and marketing artwork for publishing and education clients.
• Designed book covers, layouts and marketing collateral for 40+ titles.
• Set up reusable InDesign templates that shortened layout time per title.
• Worked to house style guides and prepared files for print vendors.
• Turned around campaign creatives for social and email on weekly deadlines.
SELECTED WORK
Consumer packaging refresh — 30+ SKUs
Mar 2023
Rebuilt a consumer packaging range across 30+ SKUs, standardising colour and type and shortening production turnaround.
Festive campaign system — Social + print
Aug 2022
Built a festive campaign system used across social, email and in-store print, lifting campaign engagement.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Designer of the Quarter — FirstCry, 2022
Oct 2022
Recognised for the festive campaign system used across social, email and in-store print.
Shared design library — Studio-wide
Apr 2022
Built the shared Figma and Adobe asset library now used across the design team.
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
B.Des in Communication Design — Symbiosis Institute of Design, Pune
Jul 2015 – May 2019 | Pune, Maharashtra
Graphic design specialisation; studio work in typography, identity and packaging.
SKILLS & TOOLS
Brand identity · Packaging & print production · Campaign design · Typography & layout · Art direction · Adobe Photoshop · Illustrator · InDesign · CorelDRAW · Figma · After Effects
