Top 12 Graphic Designer Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's visual-first market, graphic designers stay in demand. To rise above the stack, your resume needs to broadcast the skills that matter and show you can put them to work. Below, you’ll find the 12 key skills employers look for—and practical ways to sharpen each one.

Graphic Designer Skills

1. Photoshop
2. Illustrator
3. InDesign
4. Figma
5. Sketch
6. Adobe XD
7. After Effects
8. HTML/CSS
9. Typography
10. Branding
11. UX/UI Design
12. Motion Graphics

1. Photoshop

Photoshop is a digital imaging and design powerhouse for editing photos, crafting composites, painting, and building visuals from scratch.

Why It's Important

Graphic designers rely on Photoshop to retouch, manipulate, and create imagery with precision, turning rough ideas into crisp visuals built for print, web, and motion.

How to Improve Photoshop Skills

Level up through focused practice and smart habits:

1. Master the core tools: Selection tools, masks, adjustment layers, blending modes. Know when and why to use each.

2. Use non-destructive workflows: Smart Objects, layer masks, and adjustment layers keep edits flexible.

3. Memorize shortcuts: Speed breeds creativity. Customize your own where it helps.

4. Build repeatable processes: Actions and presets for color, export, and effects save hours.

5. Work on real briefs: Retouch product images, recreate ads, design social sets. Tight constraints sharpen skills.

6. Explore plugins and brushes: Extend capabilities for texture, color grading, and automation.

Consistency wins. Iterate, compare, refine, repeat.

How to Display Photoshop Skills on Your Resume

2. Illustrator

Illustrator is the vector toolbox for logos, icons, illustrations, and clean, scalable artwork that stays sharp at any size.

Why It's Important

Vector art is foundational for brand systems and production. Precision paths, consistent shapes, and editable curves make Illustrator indispensable.

How to Improve Illustrator Skills

1. Know the vector fundamentals: Pen tool finesse, anchors and handles, Shape Builder, Pathfinder, and Appearance panel.

2. Work with styles and symbols: Global colors, graphic styles, and symbols keep branding consistent.

3. Build libraries: Reusable palettes, swatches, brushes, and assets speed up every project.

4. Practice logo systems: Create primary, secondary, and mark-only versions plus responsive lockups.

5. Use precision tools: Grids, guides, pixel preview, and alignment for production-ready results.

6. Experiment with plugins: Advanced vector tools can accelerate complex tasks.

How to Display Illustrator Skills on Your Resume

3. InDesign

InDesign is the layout standard for multi-page print and digital documents—brochures, magazines, reports, ebooks—with precise typography and grid control.

Why It's Important

It brings structure to complex content. Mastery of styles, grids, and typographic detail lets you produce clean, consistent layouts at scale.

How to Improve InDesign Skills

1. Live by styles: Paragraph, character, object, and nested styles keep large documents consistent and fast to update.

2. Use proper layout foundations: Baseline grids, master pages, and parent/child templates.

3. Link and package correctly: Clean links, preflight checks, and packaged files prevent production hiccups.

4. Deepen your typography: OpenType features, hyphenation rules, optical margin alignment, and fine kerning.

5. Color management: ICC profiles, spot vs. process, and export presets for print and digital.

6. Explore Adobe Fonts and libraries: Build consistent type and asset systems across projects.

How to Display InDesign Skills on Your Resume

4. Figma

Figma is a collaborative design platform for interfaces, prototypes, and design systems—web-based, fast, and shared in real time.

Why It's Important

Designers and stakeholders co-create, comment, and test in one place. Systems and prototypes stay in sync, which keeps teams moving.

How to Improve Figma Skills

1. Master components and variables: Build robust component sets, use variants, variables, and Auto Layout for flexible, scalable systems.

2. Design systems thinking: Tokens for color, type, spacing; libraries for cross-file reuse; clear naming conventions.

3. Prototype with purpose: Interactive components, flows, transitions, and hotspots that reflect real user paths.

4. Lean on plugins: Content generators, accessibility checkers, and automation tools save time and reduce errors.

5. Collaborate in the file: Comments, version history, and branching for clean teamwork and reviews.

6. Stay current: New features land frequently—keep refining your workflow.

How to Display Figma Skills on Your Resume

5. Sketch

Sketch is a vector-focused UI design app (macOS) known for symbols, styles, and a strong plugin ecosystem, great for product design and iconography.

Why It's Important

It offers an efficient, UI-first workflow with clean component building and solid handoff via shared libraries and Sketch Cloud collaboration.

How to Improve Sketch Skills

1. Symbols, styles, libraries: Centralize components and typography. Version and share libraries for team consistency.

2. Auto layout-like efficiency: Use resizing constraints and smart layout features to adapt components responsively.

3. Supercharge with plugins: Automate repetitive tasks, manage icons, and bulk-edit layers.

4. Prototype inside Sketch or with handoff tools: Keep flows close to the design for faster feedback.

5. Practice real UI challenges: Dashboards, mobile flows, icon sets—tight briefs grow skills fast.

How to Display Sketch Skills on Your Resume

6. Adobe XD

Adobe XD is a UI/UX design and prototyping tool used to create screens, flows, and interactive prototypes.

Why It's Important

It remains useful in teams that maintain legacy XD files and workflows. Note: as of 2024–2025, Adobe paused new sales and major development of XD. Many organizations have shifted to Figma, but familiarity with XD can still help when collaborating on older projects.

How to Improve Adobe XD Skills

1. Focus on transferable fundamentals: Information architecture, component thinking, and interactive prototyping principles translate to any design tool.

2. Components and states: Build reusable elements with hover/pressed/disabled states to speed up prototypes.

3. Design specs and handoff: Keep spacing, tokens, and naming consistent so developers can ship without guesswork.

4. Shortcuts and efficiencies: Learn key commands and repeat grids to reduce repetitive layout work.

5. Migrate when needed: Practice moving XD concepts into Figma or Sketch to maintain compatibility across teams.

How to Display Adobe XD Skills on Your Resume

7. After Effects

After Effects is the go-to for motion design, compositing, and visual effects—turning static designs into animated stories.

Why It's Important

Motion sells. Animated logos, social spots, UI animations, explainers—movement boosts clarity, emotion, and engagement.

How to Improve After Effects Skills

1. Nail the fundamentals: Keyframing, easing, graph editor, parenting, precomps, and masks.

2. Build systems: Expressions, animation presets, and templates create repeatable motion languages.

3. Stay organized: Labeling, folder structures, and render queues keep complex projects sane.

4. Learn 3D and camera basics: Lights, shadows, and camera rigs add depth when used sparingly.

5. Use plugins wisely: Choose tools that solve real problems—tracking, particles, 3D workflows.

6. Study the 12 principles: Squash and stretch, anticipation, timing—classic animation rules still apply.

How to Display After Effects Skills on Your Resume

8. HTML/CSS

HTML structures content. CSS shapes its look. Together they turn design concepts into real, responsive interfaces.

Why It's Important

Designers who understand the medium create layouts that render accurately, adapt responsively, and hand off cleanly to development.

How to Improve HTML/CSS Skills

1. Use modern layout tools: Flexbox and Grid for robust, responsive structures; container queries and clamp() for fluid scales.

2. Think components: Reusable class naming, tokens for spacing and color, and consistent patterns.

3. Respect accessibility: Semantic HTML, focus states, color contrast, and ARIA where appropriate (WCAG 2.2).

4. Responsive by default: Mobile-first CSS, logical properties, and fluid typography.

5. Preprocess and organize: SASS or similar to manage complexity; keep styles modular.

6. Practice builds: Recreate landing pages, marketing emails, or small design systems to cement skills.

How to Display HTML/CSS Skills on Your Resume

9. Typography

Typography is the craft of arranging type for readability, rhythm, and voice—choosing typefaces, setting hierarchy, spacing letters and lines, and shaping the page.

Why It's Important

Type sets the tone. It clarifies information, guides the eye, and anchors brand personality.

How to Improve Typography Skills

1. Learn the anatomy: X-height, contrast, counters, stress—know what makes typefaces behave.

2. Build hierarchy: Size, weight, color, and spacing work together. Keep it clear, not noisy.

3. Mind the metrics: Kerning, tracking, leading, measure. Adjust with intent, not guesswork.

4. Use OpenType features: Ligatures, small caps, oldstyle figures, and stylistic sets for polish.

5. Try variable fonts: Flexible weight/width/optical size unlock nuanced systems and performance gains.

6. Practice on real content: Typeset articles, dashboards, and complex tables to test legibility under pressure.

How to Display Typography Skills on Your Resume

10. Branding

Branding blends strategy and visuals—logos, color, typography, imagery, and voice—into a recognizable identity that lives everywhere.

Why It's Important

Strong brands stand out and stick. Consistency across touchpoints builds trust and drives recognition.

How to Improve Branding Skills

1. Start with strategy: Clarify mission, audience, positioning, and personality before pixels.

2. Design a versatile logo system: Primary, secondary, and mark-only versions; test small sizes and dark/light contexts.

3. Build a cohesive palette and type system: Accessible contrast, flexible scales, and clear usage rules.

4. Create distinctive visual elements: Patterns, illustration styles, iconography, and motion behaviors.

5. Write guidelines that breathe: Practical rules, examples, dos/don’ts, and downloadable assets.

6. Test in the wild: Mock real touchpoints—web, packaging, socials, ads—and adjust based on feedback.

How to Display Branding Skills on Your Resume

11. UX/UI Design

UX/UI marries usefulness and beauty. UX shapes how something works; UI shapes how it looks and behaves on screen.

Why It's Important

Products live or die on clarity and comfort. Intuitive interfaces reduce friction, improve outcomes, and keep users coming back.

How to Improve UX/UI Design Skills

1. Know your users: Research, personas, journeys, and jobs-to-be-done. Decisions anchored in evidence.

2. Apply heuristics and accessibility: Usability principles and WCAG 2.2 guidelines keep designs inclusive and predictable.

3. Design patterns and systems: Reusable components, tokens, and documentation ensure scale and consistency.

4. Prototype and test: Clickable flows, moderated tests, and rapid iterations. Let findings guide changes.

5. Measure: Define success metrics early. Track task success, time on task, and error rates to validate improvements.

6. Communicate clearly: Crisp specs, rationale, and visuals build alignment with stakeholders and developers.

How to Display UX/UI Design Skills on Your Resume

12. Motion Graphics

Motion graphics bring design to life through animation—type, shapes, imagery, and sound moving in sync to tell a story.

Why It's Important

Animated content cuts through. It explains, entertains, and persuades faster than static visuals alone.

How to Improve Motion Graphics Skills

1. Study animation principles: Timing, spacing, anticipation, overshoot—make movement feel intentional.

2. Master your tools: After Effects for 2D motion and compositing; explore 3D with Cinema 4D or Blender when needed.

3. Storyboard and styleframe: Plan beats and looks before animating to avoid rework.

4. Use sound strategically: Music, SFX, and subtle audio cues heighten impact and rhythm.

5. Design for platforms: Aspect ratios, safe areas, captions, and file sizes tailored to each channel.

6. Seek feedback: Share works-in-progress, iterate quickly, and keep versions tidy.

How to Display Motion Graphics Skills on Your Resume