Skills
Graphic Designer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in graphic designers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do graphic designers need?
Graphic Designers need technical skills such as typography, layout and composition, and adobe creative cloud, plus people skills like creativity and communication. They also use tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign and Figma.
Technical (hard) skills
- Typography
- Layout and composition
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Branding
- Print production
- Color theory
People (soft) skills
- Creativity
- Communication
- Openness to feedback
- Time management
Tools, equipment and technology
- Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign
- Figma
- Drawing tablets
- Font libraries
- Stock image services
- Project management tools
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how graphic designers put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Typography” and “Layout and composition.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “creativity,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Adobe Certified Professional near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our graphic designer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Graphic Designer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.