50 inspiring resume designs to learn from

Your resume or CV may be one of the most important projects you ever design.

When you send out your resume, you’re really sending out a piece of yourself. So make sure it’s representing you to your best advantage. Just like how you dress your best for an interview, it’s important to give your resume the same treatment, making sure it’s polished and presentable.

Another important factor to consider is personalizing a resume design that's appropriate for the industry you're in. The 50 resume designs below span a wide range of styles. From academic to corporate designs and creative resume layouts, you're sure to be inspired by these thoughtful creations.

Starting off your resume strong with a bold header, like in this design by Shed Labs for Loft Résumés, draws attention to your name and makes it more memorable. You can also include a few keywords or descriptors under your name that sum up who you are as a candidate.

Get the look with the Blue Minimalist Modern Resume template.

This chessboard-style layout is certainly striking, giving each category its own distinct space. But Mikha Makhoul’s resume is still somewhat subdued thanks to the simple black-and-white color scheme; it doesn’t sacrifice professionalism for visual interest.

Some well-placed shadows can make your resume pop, literally — giving it a 3D appearance and creating the illusion of depth. Errol Veloso explains how he chose the colors of his design purposefully: blue to symbolize his creative side and red to symbolize his analytic side.

Create a 3D effect on your resume with the Blue Architect Modern Resume template.

Try using shapes and frames for emphasis. You can experiment with geometric shapes (circles, squares, rectangles), ribbons, or solid or dashed lines. Here, Michael Long frames his name and his role to help them stand out.

Use the Dark Blue Professional Resume template to emphasize your resume's important points.

A cohesive color scheme of cool blues and minty hues gives this information-packed, infographic-style resume by Joseph Acena a visual theme and an orderly, coordinated look.

Get the look with the Teal, Mint and Purple Navy Blue Grid Infographic Resume template.

Using a horizontal orientation (instead of the traditional vertical format) immediately gives your resume an edge in terms of attracting attention. Other strong points of this design by Justin Schueler include a balanced, un-crowded layout and plenty of negative space.

Grab attention with the Beige Modern Theatre Resume template.

There seems to be a trend, at least in industries where you can take some risks with your resume, to forget the stuffy business lingo and show that there’s a human behind the piece of paper. Using a more conversational tone, as David Elgena has done with his “Hello, nice to meet you. Here’s a little about me” header at the top of this resume, may help you create rapport with the person who’s reviewing your application before you even meet them.

Make your resume a conversation starter for all the good reasons. Try the Yellow Photographer Creative Resume template.

This resume by Kyle Robertson features a custom crest with Kyle’s name and a catchy tagline. Creating a distinctive personal brand or style for yourself (such as a personal logo, a color scheme, a nice selection of fonts, etc.) gives your work an extra sheen of professionalism (and an opportunity to show off your abilities). Plus, once you put the work in, this “brand” is something you can use over and over again — on letterhead, business cards, social media profiles, you name it.

Own your brand. Get the look with the Red Grey Modern Resume template.

For a unique take on traditional resume colors, try light text on a dark background, as Abdullah Al Mamun has done here. Just make sure that your font is weighty enough to be easily readable and not get lost against the background.

Flip the colors for a striking effect with the Dark Slate Grey Modern Resume template.

This clean resume by Patrick Rogan uses a bright splash of color and whittles down the information to only the basics (skills and past positions). Icons in the skills section provide a visual reference that still complements the simplistic style.

The Orange Phone Icon Modern Resume template has a basic but effective design.

Related article: 10 free resume templates to help you get your next job

Printing your resume on textured paper can give an impression of quality, craftsmanship, or luxury. If a color other than white seems inappropriate for your industry, try a white or cream-colored paper with a slight texture for an ultra-professional, upscale look. This example by S.N. Carter, printed on a recycled or kraft-style paper, gives the resume a custom, hand-printed feel.

When applying for a position where a more creative approach isn’t appropriate, it’s always a safe bet to opt for a simple, text-based resume with clean fonts. Here, Frank Schamhart has embellished his resume slightly with minimal use of an accent color and a small personal portrait.

Get a simple and clean look with the Professional Licensed Nurse Resume template.

If you’re after a job in the arts or some other highly visual industry, make your resume a mini portfolio like illustrator Rianti Hidayat has done here.

Illustrations, like the one used in the Yellow Confetti Teacher Creative Resume template, can add a touch of whimsy that's unique and attractive.

Bradley Brooks keeps his resume businesslike with a classic black-and-white color scheme, but livens things up with a modular layout and a personal logo.

Blocks can be used to create division between the sections too. Get the look with the Greyscale Infographic Corporate Resume template.

Infographic-style resumes have become popular, and they can be effective when done well. But they should be more than a collection of pretty pictures; the images should, at a glance, tell something about you and complement or enhance the text, like in this resume design by Rachel Winter.

Icons can add detail to your resume. Get the look with Pink Dark Blue Icons Infographic Resume

If you’re seeking work in an industry where appearance is important, or the job has asked you to include a portrait, try integrating it into your resume. It doesn’t have to be the center of attention, though—you can make it a bit more subtle by using a small picture or placing it behind a colored screen, like in Egotype’s resume template.

Let them get to know you. Add a portrait of yourself with the Simple Brown Photo Header Resume template.

You can also get this dramatic look on an acting resume template.

Mailing out some resumes? Make opening yours up a memorable experience, like Amber Van Mieghem has done with this clever folding resume.

Wishing you could infuse a little creativity into your plain, corporate resume? Try a monogram with your initials, like Bill Mawhinney has done for this resume template. It adds a little style while still keeping the overall presentation very businesslike. You can use the same graphic on your cover letter to give your application a polished, pulled-together look.

Get the look with the Blue Bordered Graphic Design Resume template.

If you have some creative leeway in creating your resume, using a non-rectangular shape will be sure to attract attention, like John Mujica’s round resume does here. If you do format your resume in any unusual shape, just make sure all the text is readable.

You’ve only got one name. Make it memorable. If it’s unique, highlight it. Make it big and bold, like Fredrik Andresen did on his resume. Give the hiring manager something to zero in on.

What's in a name? A lot! Try the Typographic Electrician Resume template.

Related article: Emphasize career highlights on your resume by using color strategically

Your font choices can change the whole character of your resume. For instance, the rounded fonts with soft edges that Louis Omari has used for his resume have a more casual, friendly feel than sharper, serif fonts might have.

There are a lot of fonts you can use for free in Canva. Choose your favorite font combinations to add character to your resume, or customize the Black Simple Infographic Resume template.

Need to show your qualifications on the run? Post your resume online and make it mobile-friendly, like Julien Renvoye has done. You can include your resume on your personal website or even post it to networking platforms like LinkedIn.

Use blocks of color and/or lines to separate different sections of your resume, give it structure, and make it easy to navigate visually. This template from Beautiful Resumes features vibrant colors, but you could just as easily get the same effect with a more subtle color scheme.

Get the look with the Colorful Grid Two Column Resume template.

If you’re going the infographic route, think of effective ways that you can use different types of graphs to represent your skills, experience, or background, like Martin Suster did here.

Use graphs to highlight the important points of your resume. Try the Green and White Stripes Chart Infographic Resume template.

Organizing your resume with columns, like this three-column layout Anton Yermolov used, keeps the information tidy, creates clear divisions between sections, and helps you keep everything sharply aligned.

Keep your resume simple and tidy with the Green Background Resume template.

Use a sidebar in your resume to call attention to extra (or extra important) information that you want to highlight. Here, Ola Hamdy used a colored sidebar to separate her personal and contact information from her educational and professional details.

Get the look with the Olive Building Scholarship Resume template.

Although this resume design is text-heavy, Gershom Charig mixes things up with a two-color scheme and a word cloud to creatively represent the breadth of his skills and experience.

Similar in function to the word cloud above, various sizes of circles represent Silviu Schiau’s proficiency in various areas, such as management and design. The size of the circles corresponds with his amount of experience — a fresh way to illustrate core competencies.

Let your creativity flow and get the look with Pink Colorful Infographic Resume template.

Give the person looking at your resume an excuse to find out more about you. Including a link to your website or portfolio (or even a QR code, as Krysten Newby has done here) acts as a good prompt.

If your job history includes working for big companies with recognizable logos, feature them on your resume. Tamás Léb has included space to do so on this resume template, and it makes an impressive statement, even at a glance.

Related article: 100 power words to use in your resume

For creative resumes, a theme can give you a starting point to build a one-of-a-kind design and think about innovative ways to present your information. Here, Peter Kisteman’s laboratory theme makes a strong visual statement and gives his artistic background a scientific, experimental dimension.

Create a theme with your resume using the Cream with Floral Border Creative Resume template.

Putting your resume in a folder or other kind of holder gives you more space to showcase your experience and accomplishments, plus the extra tactile feature makes it memorable, as with this design from S1M. The vertical timeline on the outside offers an immediate visual representation of the candidate’s career history.

This traditional black, white, and gray design by Brice Séraphin brightens up quite nicely with some turquoise as an accent. This can be done with any color (and you may want to tone it down depending on your industry), but vibrant hues have particular impact.

Accent colors can help create emphasis on important points in your resume, like with the Black and White with Green Infographic Resume template.

Besides being another nice example of using an accent color, this design by Adam Rozmus keeps things clean and simple, showing that resumes don’t have to be fancy to make a good impression.

Use a simple but striking resume like the Simple Aqua Infographic Resume template.

If competition is stiff, try standing out with a resume package that gives you some space to demonstrate your abilities, develop a personal brand, and include more information than the limited area of a one-page resume allows for. Here, Sabraé Precure uses a distinct color scheme and custom illustrations to stand out from the crowd.

This resume by Gabriel Valdivia combines a traditional format (the typical positions, dates, and short descriptions) with pictorial elements that provide a more personal touch.

Get the look: Combine the grid style with a pastel color theme like the Pastel Lined Grid Boxes Fashion Stylist Colorful Resume template.

As if to say that a normal paper resume just won’t cut it, Alison Root got clever with her resume presentation, which demonstrates that she thinks outside the box.

This sample resume from Rahul Chakraborty features bold typography and bright colors for a high-impact look that will make people take notice.

Grab attention with the Dark and Light Green Geometric Creative Resume template.

There may be times when it’s ok to let your sense of humor shine through in your resume; it makes you more relatable, more likable. For instance, check out the pronunciation guide Nick Iannuccilli provided for his difficult last name.

Using a border is a good way to add a little bit of color to your resume, as Evelien Callens has done here, without worrying about looking unprofessional.

Get the look with the Blue Bordered Graphic Design Resume template.

Related article: Your ultimate guide to building a resume from scratch

Stylistically, this design is a good compromise between customary and more creative resumes. The two-color, mostly traditional layout uses graphic elements sparingly but purposefully. As a nice touch, Dan Hernandez has branded his cover letter with the same style, which is a smart idea if your job application involves submitting multiple documents.

Sometimes you have to do what you can to get noticed. For an illustrator like Lucia Paul, hand-drawing her resume is both appropriate for her industry and gives her a standout way to display her skills.

Use unusual elements to make your resume stand out. Get the look with the Red Watercolor Floral Art Teacher Creative Resume template.

Big, bold typography, a high-contrast color scheme, and a well-organized presentation all combine to make sure João Andrade’s resume gets looked at.

No long-winded explanations of job roles here. Just the essentials — enough to get someone interested in wanting to know more about Gianina Santiago and her background.

Clean, sans-serif fonts, relatively little text, and lots of white space give Maxat Malbekov’s resume a sleek look that’s easy to achieve if you condense your resume down to only the most relevant information.

Keep it fresh with the White Minimalist with Photo Teacher Resume template.

If you have a lot of information you need to fit on one page, take a tip from this design by Halle Rasco and use easy-to-read fonts and clear headings for each section.

Need to keep your resume fairly conservative? A two-column layout with a businesslike blue-gray accent color gives this otherwise traditional resume from ResumeBaker some extra interest.

Get the look with the Black and White Minimal Simple Resume template.

Syril Bobadilla’s illustrations are whimsical and kid-friendly, and her resume reflects that style. Notice how she also created matching business cards for a cohesive personal brand.

Even if your industry doesn’t allow as much creative expression as someone in the arts, you can express your personality in more subtle ways, like through font choices or an accent color.

Resumes don’t always have to read from left to right, top to bottom. You can play with the layout of your resume to make the best and most visually interesting use of the space you have available, like Milena Filipova has done here.

Get creative with your resume layout like with the Colorful Abstract Theatre Resume template.

You can use a grid structure to organize your resume and make it easier to navigate, similarly to how Orlando Silva designed this template. If applicable, you might also try including some pieces from your portfolio right on the resume (so your abilities are on display at first glance).

Use grids creatively, like with the Black and Pastel Modern Creative Resume template.

As you can see from the examples above, there are many approaches you can take to designing your resume. But no matter what style or format you choose, there are a few things you want to make sure to get right:

• Readable text
• Industry-appropriate style (if unsure, play it safe with a conservative design.)
• Updated and accurate information
• No spelling/grammar errors

Check out this list of Best Grammar Checkers to correct any spelling or grammar errors in your resume.

Now it’s your turn. Put these skills into action!

Ready to take your designs to the next level? Here are some handy Canva tools to help you with your design journey.

Create your own resume

Creating your own resume with Canva is easy. Step this way, and create a professional-looking design in minutes. No design experience needed.

Color Palette Ideas

Looking for colors that are guaranteed to look good together? We've generated thousands of designer-approved palettes for you to use in your next design.

And if you're trying to come up with the best colors for your brand, check outColor meaning and symbolism: How to use the power of color in your branding.