About this template
The Brutalist Grid template stands by a radical position: thick black borders, Archivo Black headlines, /// section markers, no decorative softening. The page reads as a structural object — block, margin, counter-block — in the lineage of Swiss post-Bauhaus graphic design and the architectural fanzines of the late 1990s. It is deliberately not an ATS-safe CV: it is built for a human creative director who reads ten portfolios an evening and is hunting for a point of view. The format clears the human gate at independent design studios, boutique creative agencies and signature architecture offices, and it will fail an automated corporate filter just as quickly — which is the right information for both camps.
Who is it for?
For senior art directors, brand-system designers, industrial designers, architects trained at the RCA, the Architectural Association, the Bartlett, Goldsmiths, Yale School of Architecture or ENSCI Paris, and confirmed visual designers applying to Pentagram, M/M (Paris), Akatre, Studio Dumbar, Spin London, Build, Sagmeister & Walsh heritage, Apartamento Milan, and signature architecture practices (Bjarke Ingels Group, Snøhetta, Sou Fujimoto). Suited to alumni of ECAL Lausanne, HEAD Geneva, Werkplaats Typografie Arnhem, RISD Graphic Design, Yale Graphic Design MFA and Cooper Union. To be avoided for traditional finance, law and government roles — radical grids will be read there as a lack of contextual judgement.
How to use it
Place the portfolio URL in the header at the same visual rank as the email — it is the equivalent of an art director's signature. Prefer a short personal domain (.xyz, .studio, .design) over a generic Behance handle. In the Projects section, cite no more than 4-5 references — a brutalist owns selection. State the client, the brief in one sentence, your role (Creative Direction, Art Direction, Brand System Lead) and the year. For NDA-bound projects, name the sector (« visual identity for a European music label ») without disclosing the client. CV-portfolio coherence is expected: if your Are.na is in tame Helvetica grey, the brutalist grid will jar. Long-tail: « freelance art director CV London », « brand system designer portfolio CV », « creative director CV independent agency », « ECAL graphic design CV », « signature architecture practice CV ».
Frequently asked questions
Is this template compatible with applications to large-scale advertising agencies (Wieden+Kennedy, AKQA, BBH)?
Partly. Wieden+Kennedy and BBH accept brutalist language for Creative Director and above — both agencies have carried this visual code since the 2000s. AKQA and the traditional networks (Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, JWT heritage) prefer more institutional layouts for senior corporate profiles; a brutalist CV will read there as « rather boutique ». Before sending, look at the agency's own site: if its identity is neutral and corporate, align your CV; if it stands by a graphic position, this template fits.
Should the CV be printed at high ink density to render the thick black borders?
For applications sent in physical form (rare, but still common in architecture and publishing), yes: laser output or digital print on 250 gsm minimum, at a weight that supports heavy inking. For PDF dispatches, verify that the borders remain crisp after PDF/X compression — some 0.5pt fine borders fade on the recipient's printer. The template is calibrated for 1pt minimum borders so it survives any printing pipeline.
How do I present a personal, non-commercial project in this template?
Create a dedicated « Personal projects » section, separate from client work, with the same blocks of information (intent, medium, duration, distribution context). For a brutalist, a personal non-commercial project is often more distinctive than a generic client project — it reveals the author behind the operator. Cite the distribution context (independent publication, Offprint group exhibition, curated Are.na block) to anchor the cultural read. Creative directors of independent studios look at these personal projects first to assess a candidate's singularity.
