Graphic designer resume keywords

We counted the skills in 148 open graphic designer job postings from 84 employers, including Brex, The New York Times and Harvey. The ones employers ask for most are marketing (60% of postings), campaign management (49%) and typography (39%). 61% of the postings mention AI, though often in the company's description rather than as a skill the job needs.

Top skills and tools in graphic designer postings

#	Keyword	Share of postings
1	marketing	60%
2	campaign management	49%
3	typography	39%
4	Figma	28%
5	animation	26%
6	design systems	23%
7	Adobe Creative Suite	22%
8	communications	18%
9	branding	17%
10	product design	16%
11	graphic design	16%
12	social media	16%
13	illustration	15%
14	visual design	15%
15	brand marketing	15%
16	content design	15%
17	product marketing	14%
18	prototyping	14%
19	Illustrator	13%
20	copy editing	13%
21	After Effects	11%
22	motion graphics	11%
23	product strategy	10%
24	partnerships	9%
25	B2B	9%
26	generative AI	9%
27	paid social	9%
28	photography	9%
29	UX	9%
30	automation	8%

Share of the 148 postings whose description names the skill (plurals and common spellings, such as “JS” and “JavaScript”, count as one).

Soft skills employers mention

leadership · 21%cross-functional · 16%communication · 14%collaboration · 11%ownership · 11%creativity · 8%attention to detail · 6%reporting · 6%documentation · 5%mentoring · 5%

Show these through results in your bullets (“led a team of six”) rather than listing them as adjectives.

How to use these keywords on your graphic designer resume

Start with the posting, not this list. These are averages across 148 jobs; the one you're applying for has its own priorities. Use this page to spot common gaps, then match the specific posting.
Name skills the way employers do. If you use “marketing”, “campaign management” and “typography”, write those exact words. Applicant tracking systems and recruiters search for them, and a close synonym can be missed.
Put each skill in a bullet that shows a result. Naming Figma inside a bullet about what you achieved with it, with a number where you can, is stronger than listing it alone in a skills section.
Add only what's true. If you've worked with “Figma”, “animation” and “design systems” but your resume doesn't say so, add it. If you haven't, leave it out: interviews expose padded resumes quickly.

More about graphic designer jobs

Resume keywords for other jobs

How these numbers are calculated

Every figure comes from open graphic designer job postings on MANY Hired, imported from employers' own career pages. For each posting we pick out the skills, tools, certifications and qualifications its description names, then count how many postings ask for each one. A job counts as graphic designer by its title. Updated November 9, 2026.