ATS Keywords
Graphic Designer ATS Keywords: Get Your Creative CV Past the Screen
Most graphic designer applications still pass through an applicant tracking system before a human ever opens the portfolio link, regardless of how visually strong the CV is. The keywords below reflect what recruiters and ATS software actually scan for on design CVs: specific software, disciplines, and production terms, not general adjectives.
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Must-Have Keywords
Include these keywords in your CV to improve your ATS score.
Strengthen Your CV
Power Phrases
Use these multi-word phrases to strengthen your CV.
Avoid These
Words to Avoid
Remove these overused or weak words from your CV.
ATS Score
Before & After ATS Optimization
Before
Missing Keywords
After
Added Keywords
Formatting
ATS-Friendly Format Tips
Keep the underlying text real and selectable. Even a bold, visual layout needs actual text, not text flattened into images, so ATS software can read your keywords.
This is one of the few CVs where visual design is itself a legitimate skill demonstration. A well-crafted, on-brand layout functions as a work sample, so don't default to a bare template purely out of ATS fear.
That said, enterprise in-house teams at banks, insurers, and large corporates typically run more conservative ATS screening first. For those applications, lead with a portfolio link and keep a clean, text-based version of your CV ready to send.
Always include your live portfolio URL as visible plain text near the top of the CV. An icon-only link or QR code may look sleek but won't be read as a keyword or click-through by scanning software.
Use standard section headers (Experience, Skills, Education, Portfolio) even within a creative layout, so parsing logic can correctly categorize your content.
Name specific software and tools, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Figma, rather than generic phrases like 'design software,' since ATS keyword matching is literal.
Don't bury critical keywords only inside icons, skill-bar graphics, or infographic elements. Repeat the important ones in plain text somewhere on the page.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, provided the text underneath the design is real, selectable text rather than flattened into an image, and the layout uses standard section labels. The visuals help human reviewers while the text satisfies the software.
Not plain, but more conservative. Banks, insurers, and large corporates tend to run stricter ATS screening and favor a cleaner layout with a prominent portfolio link, whereas agencies often expect more visual boldness.
List only the tools you're genuinely proficient in and that match the job posting. Padding the list with rarely-used software dilutes keyword relevance and is easy to expose at interview.
The ATS itself won't open the portfolio, but including the URL as plain text keeps it scannable, and human reviewers who move past the ATS almost always click through, so it needs to be easy to find.
Not automatically, but a poorly exported PDF with text flattened into outlines or images can become unreadable to parsers. Always confirm the text is selectable before submitting.
Yes. Branding roles should foreground terms like brand identity, style guides, and visual strategy, while production-focused roles should foreground print production, pre-press, and digital asset production. Match the emphasis to the job description.
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