Graphic designer resume keywords

We counted the skills in 134 open graphic designer job postings from 76 employers, including The New York Times, Brex and Scopely. The ones employers ask for most are marketing (59% of postings), campaign management (50%) and typography (37%). 57% 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	59%
2	campaign management	50%
3	typography	37%
4	Figma	33%
5	animation	28%
6	design systems	24%
7	Adobe Creative Suite	22%
8	social media	21%
9	visual design	20%
10	brand marketing	18%
11	illustration	18%
12	branding	18%
13	communications	17%
14	product marketing	17%
15	graphic design	16%
16	Illustrator	15%
17	After Effects	13%
18	prototyping	13%
19	product design	12%
20	motion graphics	12%
21	copy editing	11%
22	UX	10%
23	content design	10%
24	video editing	10%
25	partnerships	10%
26	Photoshop	9%
27	product strategy	8%
28	generative AI	8%
29	accessibility	8%
30	A/B testing	8%

Share of the 134 postings whose description names the skill (plurals and common spellings, such as “JS” and “JavaScript”, count as one).

Soft skills employers mention

leadership · 20%cross-functional · 16%collaboration · 14%communication · 13%creativity · 10%ownership · 10%reporting · 7%documentation · 7%attention to detail · 7%mentoring · 4%

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

Languages

Polish · 7%

How to use these keywords on your graphic designer resume

Start with the posting, not this list. These are averages across 134 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 October 28, 2026.