Time to update the CV.  Sorry, I mean resume.

The move from England to California prompts more than a change of language when it comes to this particular document.  I've gone for a bold red color and clean lines to frame the essential information contained within.  They say its important to stand out, which is tough enough in brash Los Angeles, so i'm hoping my new resume sits somewhere between loud and classy.

What do you think?  Do you feel like giving me a job?!

Compare my own resume to the one I created for my wife, Kelsey.  She's works in fashion so the tone and presentation couldn't be any more different.  For Kelsey, being seen in a crowded industry is essential to success, and we pulled no stops in putting her resume together.  The bright, friendly colors don't overwhelm the crucial text, and whilst we changed our minds about including images many times over, in the end it was decided to be just the right amount of ridiculous.  I could never have a resume like this, but it works for Kelsey and her business.  Its already got her one job when the employees passed it around the office to admire/laugh at - they said it was "brilliantly obnoxious".  But who cares how they judged her resume - it turned heads and she got the job!

Here's another resume I worked on for a friend, demonstrating a completely different approach, stylistically at least.  Here, Bryan's resume is clean, simple and linear.  The black and white layout is dictated by the lack of content relative to the previous resumes, and is tidily organized into three columns whilst permitting plenty of space that doesn't look unnecessarily empty.  The design is demure and uncomplicated but still asks for your attention.  Also, in speaking with Bryan, we agreed that a splash of casual language in the titles (ie. 'not really down for') is cheeky and fun but is also direct in what he does and does not want to do.  For the kinds of people Bryan is approaching for work, this honesty may prove really helpful.

And finally, something sexy for a Hollywood makeup artist, Cheyenne, who came to me with FOUR whole pages of resume info, easily making it the toughest layout to work on out of these examples.  The big work was in summarizing her work history and credits into digestible text, and also discussing with her what is essential and what can be left out of a resume.  The design must always fit the content, but the content should also be simple and easy to read.  I think with this resume, Cheyenne has improved her chances of getting the attention of employers.

CHEYENNE SAFARTI RESUME v3 freelance

As with all things design, the layout is led by the content: its essential to find a style that compliments the information being presented.  Getting this wrong = bad design, in my opinion.

I enjoy working on print layouts but the painstaking attention to every detail can be time consuming, especially since i'm working in Photoshop rather than the preferred InDesign.  Still, the finished articles are quite satisfying and in many ways some of the technical skills needed are synergic with photo editing and so useful to keep rehearsing. 

I wonder if there's a new line of work for me in designing resumes for hopeful job hunters??  Get in touch if I can help you!