Career guide
Web Designer Resume: Examples, Summary and What to Include
A web designer resume should send the reader to your portfolio and prove what the portfolio can't show alone: the goal behind each site or page, what you designed or built, and what happened after launch. Put the portfolio link in the header, write a two-line summary, give each role three to five bullets with a result, and keep the layout clean enough to read as plain text.
Key takeaways
- A web designer resume works alongside the portfolio, so its job is to show goals, scope and results the portfolio can't show on its own.
- Strong web designer resume bullets name the site or page, what you designed or built, and a result such as a conversion lift, a launch or a faster site.
- Put the portfolio link in the resume header, where a hiring manager looks for it first.
- A web designer resume can look designed, but it should still read cleanly as text, because many employers load resumes into an applicant tracking system.
- List the design tools, site builders and code you really use, and match the posting's wording where it's true.
What should a web designer resume show?
A web designer resume should show that your work does a job for a business, not only that it looks good. Your portfolio carries the visuals; the resume tells the hiring manager what each project was for, what part you played and what changed after launch.
Hiring managers usually look for four things:
- The kind of sites you design: marketing sites, landing pages, e-commerce, product pages, small-business sites.
- How far you take the work: design only, design and build, or design through testing and iteration.
- Results: conversion, sign-ups, launches, speed, fewer support questions.
- How you work with others: marketers, writers, developers and clients.
Which sections should a web designer resume have?
Use the standard sections, in this order, so both people and software can find what they need:
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Header | Name, city, email, phone, portfolio link, LinkedIn |
| Summary | Two lines: the kind of web design you do and your strongest proof |
| Experience | Each role with three to five result-focused bullets |
| Selected projects | Optional: two or three standout projects, especially for freelancers or career changers |
| Skills | Design tools, site builders and CMSs, code, testing and analytics tools |
| Education and certifications | Degree, bootcamp or courses, if relevant |
Our how to write a resume guide covers each section in more depth.
Should a web designer resume be designed?
It can show your eye, but it has to read cleanly. Keep one column for the main content, use real text rather than images, and test it by copying everything into a plain text file. If the order still makes sense, an applicant tracking system can probably read it too.
How do you write a web designer resume summary?
Say what kind of web design you do, for whom, and one result. Two lines is enough.
Web designer with [X] years designing [marketing sites / landing pages / e-commerce sites] for [B2B software / consumer brands / agency clients]. Designed and built [project] in [tool], [result, e.g. lifting demo requests by X%].
Treat the template as scaffolding and rewrite it the way you’d describe your work to a friend; a line that sounds like you is the one a hiring manager remembers.
A few examples to adapt:
- “Web designer on an in-house growth team, designing and building landing pages in Webflow for paid and lifecycle campaigns. Redesigned the pricing page, lifting trial starts by [X]%.”
- “Agency web designer with years designing marketing sites for consumer and nonprofit clients, from wireframes to launch, across [X] site launches.”
- “Graphic designer moving into web, with landing pages designed and built for [company]’s campaigns and a working knowledge of HTML and CSS.”
What makes a strong web designer resume bullet?
A strong bullet names the site or page, what you did and what happened. Use a number where you have one, and a specific outcome where you don’t.
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Designed landing pages | Designed and built [X] landing pages in Webflow for paid social campaigns; the top performer lowered cost per sign-up by [X]% |
| Worked on website redesign | Led the visual design of a [X]-page site redesign, from wireframes to launch, with developers and the content team |
| Responsible for design system | Built a web component library in Figma that cut new page design time from [X] days to [X] |
| Improved site accessibility | Fixed color contrast, focus states and alt text across [X] templates to meet WCAG 2.2 AA |
| Did A/B testing | Designed [X] homepage test variations with the growth team; the winning hero lifted click-through to pricing by [X]% |
Small numbers are completely fine. “Five landing pages for a product launch, all live on time” is a strong line because you can explain every part of it.
In-house, agency and freelance bullets
- In-house: show the business metric your pages moved and the teams you worked with.
- Agency: show the clients, the number of launches and the work you led in pitches or presentations.
- Freelance: show the clients by type, the scope you owned end to end and repeat or referred work.
What skills should a web designer list?
List the tools and skills you really use, grouped so they’re easy to scan, and use the posting’s names for them where they’re accurate:
- Design: Figma, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, prototyping.
- Building: Webflow, WordPress, Shopify or the CMS you know; HTML, CSS, some JavaScript if true.
- Optimization: A/B testing tools, analytics, heatmaps, page speed basics.
- Practices: responsive design, design systems, accessibility (WCAG), SEO basics.
Our resume keyword scanner compares your resume with a posting and lists the terms you’re missing.
What should you leave off a web designer resume?
- A full skills bar chart. “Photoshop 80%” doesn’t tell the reader anything. List tools by name instead.
- Every project you’ve touched. Choose the ones closest to the job.
- Screenshots inside the resume. Link to the portfolio instead; images can make the file hard to read for software.
- Links that need a login. Make sure every link works for a stranger.
How do you tailor a web designer resume to a posting?
Read the posting for its repeated asks, such as “landing pages”, “Webflow” or “design systems”, and move your closest experience to the top. Lead your portfolio with the matching project too. The web designer job description page shows what most postings ask for.
Recon can tailor your resume to a specific posting line by line, using only facts already on your resume, and leaves a [placeholder] where a stronger line needs a number only you know.
FAQ
Do web designers need a resume if they have a portfolio?
Yes, in most hiring processes. The portfolio shows the work; the resume shows your experience, scope and results in a format recruiters can scan and search. Link each to the other.
How long should a web designer resume be?
One page for most web designers, and two pages if you have many years of relevant experience. See how long should a resume be for more.
What if I designed it but someone else built it?
Say so plainly: “designed the [page]; developers built it in [platform]”. Being clear about your part is more convincing than claiming the whole thing, and it’s what you’ll be asked about in the interview.
How do I write a web designer resume with no experience?
Lead with projects: sites for friends, nonprofits or local businesses, redesigns of real sites you’ve improved as practice, or bootcamp work. Name what each project was for and what you did. Our marketing portfolio guide shows how to present early work.
Should I include my portfolio link on my resume?
Yes, in the header next to your email, as a short, clean URL. It’s the first thing a hiring manager for a design role looks for.