Creative CV templates
Creative CV templates that make an impression
A creative CV gives you more freedom to show your personality while presenting your experience, skills and achievements professionally. Colour, distinctive typography and carefully chosen visual elements can help your application feel more personal and memorable.
Explore our creative CV templates, choose a style that suits your profession and customise it online. You can start creating for free and download your finished CV as a PDF when you’re ready to apply.
Creative styles
Easy to customise
Professional layouts
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Creative CV Template Collection
Creative CV templates, ready to customise
Explore creative CV templates that bring more personality to your application through colour, typography and distinctive visual details. They offer an alternative to conventional CVs while keeping your professional information clear and accessible.
Choose a template below, add your experience and personalise the available options to create a CV that feels appropriate for both you and the role you’re targeting.
Stand out with purpose
Why choose a creative CV template?
A creative CV can be useful when personality, communication or originality matter to the role. The aim isn’t simply to look different: creative choices should support your application and help communicate who you are professionally.
Make your application memorable
A distinctive CV can be easier to remember among more conventional applications, particularly when creativity is relevant to the position.
Show more personality
Colour, typography and visual accents give you more freedom to create a CV that reflects your professional personality rather than relying on a purely traditional presentation.
Highlight what matters
Used carefully, visual elements can draw attention to important sections and help recruiters identify your experience, skills and achievements quickly.
Fit creative professions
For roles where ideas, communication or creativity are part of the job, your CV can reflect those qualities before the recruiter even reaches your portfolio.
Creative CV Examples
See creative CV examples with real content
The right level of creativity depends on the person and the role. Explore three creative CV examples to see how candidates in different fields can combine personality with clear, relevant professional content.
Maya Collins
Graphic Designer
Graphic Designer with 5 years’ experience creating brand identities, digital campaigns and editorial assets for consumer and lifestyle brands. Combines strong visual concepts with practical experience delivering consistent creative work across print and digital channels.
Work Experience
Graphic Designer
Studio North, Manchester
- Create visual identities, campaign assets and digital content for a portfolio of consumer brands
- Lead design projects from initial concepts through client feedback to final delivery
- Developed a new visual system that reduced production time across recurring campaign assets
Junior Graphic Designer
Form Creative, Leeds
- Produced social media, web and print assets for clients across retail and hospitality
- Worked with senior designers to develop brand guidelines and presentation materials
- Prepared artwork for digital and print production while maintaining brand consistency
Education
BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Leeds Arts University
Key Skills
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Brand identity
- Typography
- Art direction
Interests
- Editorial design
- Photography
- Independent publishing
Sophie Bennett
Marketing Graduate
Marketing graduate with practical experience in content creation, social media and campaign planning gained through an industry placement and university projects. Creative, commercially aware and confident turning ideas into content for different audiences and channels.
Work Experience
Marketing Intern
Brightside Digital, Birmingham
- Supported social media campaigns across Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn for consumer clients
- Created copy and visual content for weekly social media calendars
- Researched competitor activity and presented content ideas during campaign planning meetings
- Used campaign analytics to identify the best-performing formats and topics
Student Brand Ambassador
University of Birmingham
- Created social content promoting university events and student initiatives
- Helped organise two campus events attended by more than 300 students
- Worked with student societies to increase participation in promotional campaigns
Education
BA (Hons) Marketing
University of Birmingham
Digital Campaign Project
University of Birmingham
Key Skills
- Content creation
- Social media
- Copywriting
- Campaign planning
- Canva
- Google Analytics
Interests
- Photography
- Student media
- Travel
Daniel Morgan
Junior Copywriter
Client-facing professional transitioning into copywriting after 6 years in account management. Combines a strong understanding of audiences, commercial objectives and brand communication with practical copywriting experience developed through freelance projects and specialist training. Looking to bring this mix of commercial insight and creative writing to an agency or in-house content team.
Work Experience
Freelance Copywriter
Self-employed
- Write website, email and social media copy for small businesses and independent brands
- Adapt tone of voice to different audiences while maintaining clear commercial messages
- Created a new set of website pages for a local business, including homepage and service copy
- Build a growing portfolio of published and self-initiated writing projects
Account Manager
North & Co, Bristol
- Managed relationships with a portfolio of B2B clients and translated commercial objectives into clear project briefs
- Prepared presentations, proposals and client communications for different audiences
- Worked closely with marketing and creative teams on campaign delivery
- Developed a strong understanding of customer needs, brand positioning and persuasive communication
Education
Professional Copywriting Certificate
College of Media and Publishing
BA (Hons) Business Management
University of Bristol
Key Skills
- Copywriting
- Editing
- Brand voice
- Client communication
- Creative briefing
- Content research
Interests
- Independent magazines
- Creative writing
- Film
These examples show that there isn’t one formula for a creative CV. The strongest approach is to match the level of creativity to your profession while keeping your experience and achievements easy to understand. Use them for creative CV ideas, then adapt the content and presentation to your own application.
Creativity with purpose
Creative doesn't mean unprofessional
A creative CV can have personality without becoming distracting. The strongest examples make deliberate choices with colour, typography and visual elements while keeping the candidate’s professional information easy to understand.
Start with the content you want the recruiter to notice: who you are, what you’ve done, what you’ve achieved and which skills are relevant to the role. Creative elements should support that information rather than compete with it.
This balance matters because originality may help your application attract attention, but the recruiter still needs to understand your value quickly.
- Clear visual hierarchy
- Controlled use of colour
- Readable typography
- Content remains the priority
When creativity adds value
Who should use a creative CV?
A creative CV makes the most sense when personality, ideas or communication have some relevance to the position. It isn’t reserved for one profession, but the amount of creativity you use should reflect both your field and the employer.
Creative professionals
Writers, illustrators, photographers and other creative professionals can use a more expressive CV to reinforce the personality already visible in their work and portfolio.
Marketing & advertising
Marketing and advertising roles often value ideas, communication and brand awareness. A distinctive CV can complement those qualities while your achievements demonstrate them.
Content & media
Content creators, social media professionals and candidates working in media can use colour and visual personality to create an application that feels closer to the work they produce.
Candidates changing direction
When moving towards a more creative career, a carefully chosen template can help signal the professional direction you’re targeting while your profile and transferable skills explain the transition.
Creative CV ideas
What makes a good creative CV?
Creativity works best when it feels intentional. Rather than adding visual elements everywhere, decide what impression you want to create and use a small number of consistent choices to achieve it.
Start with strong content
Your experience, achievements and relevant skills are still the foundation of the CV. Write and organise them first so creativity enhances a strong application rather than disguising weak or generic content.
Give your CV a personality
Use colour, typography and subtle visual details to establish a recognisable character. The result should feel appropriate for your profession rather than simply different from a standard CV.
Keep a clear hierarchy
Your name, job title and main sections should be immediately recognisable. Make it obvious where one section ends and another begins so recruiters can scan the document quickly.
Use colour selectively
A limited colour palette is usually more effective than using a different colour for every section. Choose accents that work together and use them consistently throughout the CV.
Know when to stop
Not every empty space needs an icon, illustration or graphic. Leaving room around your content improves readability and prevents the creative elements from overwhelming the application.
Find your style
Compare creative CV templates with other styles
Creative templates offer more personality than our other CV styles. Compare the overall approach before choosing the one that feels most appropriate for your profession and the employer you’re applying to.
| Creative | Modern View templates | Simple View templates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall style | Expressive | Contemporary | Minimal |
| Personality | Strong | Moderate | Subtle |
| Colour | More prominent | Moderate | Limited |
| Creative roles | Particularly suited | Suited | Possible |
| Corporate roles | Depends on context | Well suited | Well suited |
| Easy to scan | Yes, when restrained | Yes | Yes |
ATS compatibility
Can creative CV templates be ATS-friendly?
A creative CV can still use an ATS-conscious structure, but more complex visual elements need to be handled carefully. Applicant Tracking Systems need to identify the text and understand the order of your information, so creativity shouldn’t make essential content difficult to interpret.
If you’re applying through an online recruitment platform, favour a creative template with recognisable headings and clearly presented text. Don’t rely on icons, graphics or visual ratings to communicate information that matters to your application.
No template can guarantee that an application will pass ATS screening. Relevant experience, skills and terminology remain important alongside the structure of the document.
Clear headings
Keep familiar sections such as Work Experience, Education and Skills easy to identify even when the CV has more personality.
Readable text
Important career information should remain as text rather than being communicated only through graphics, icons or visual indicators.
Logical order
Make sure there is an obvious sequence through the document so your professional history remains straightforward to follow.
Relevant content
Creative presentation doesn’t replace tailoring. Match your experience and skills to the vacancy wherever they genuinely reflect your background.
How it works
Create a creative CV in four steps
Start with a ready-made template and personalise your CV online without having to build everything from scratch.
Choose a creative template
Browse our creative CV templates and select one that feels appropriate for your personality, profession and target role.
Add your information
Enter your profile, work experience, education and skills, or import an existing CV to save time.
Personalise your CV
Use the available customisation options to make the template your own while keeping your professional information clear.
Download as PDF
Review your content and presentation, then download your finished CV as a PDF when you’re ready to apply.
Creative CVs in the UK
When should you use a creative CV in the UK?
There isn’t one CV style that suits every UK employer. A creative CV is most relevant when the role or organisation gives you a reason to show more personality through your application.
Creative industries such as advertising, content, media, publishing and photography are natural examples. Candidates in marketing, communications and other less traditional environments may also have more freedom to use colour and distinctive visual elements.
For more conventional roles, consider the employer before choosing a highly expressive template. A simple CV or classic CV may be more appropriate when a restrained presentation better matches the organisation.
Look at the job advert, company website and its general communication style for clues. Your CV doesn’t need to imitate the employer’s branding, but it should feel appropriate in the context in which it will be read.
Whichever style you choose, keep your experience and achievements at the centre of the application. Personality can help make a CV memorable; relevant evidence is what makes it convincing.
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