About this template
The Modern Swiss Grid template is a CV in modernist tradition entirely set in Helvetica Neue on pure white paper, with a single Swiss-red accent. The structure is rigorously aligned, hierarchies are purely typographic and whitespace carries half of the message. It's International Swiss Style discipline applied to a CV — a choice that speaks to profiles where formal rigour is itself a professional signal.
Who is it for?
It suits senior profiles in graphic design, architecture, investment finance and strategy consulting who appreciate modernist rigour. Relevant for applications to top-tier strategy consultancies (McKinsey & Company, BCG, Bain & Company), starchitect firms (Foster + Partners, BIG, OMA, Snøhetta), cultural foundations (Tate Modern, Guggenheim Foundation, Whitney Museum) and academics who want a CV reading as a piece of careful typography rather than a marketing document.
How to use it
The template relies on an invisible but structuring 12-column grid. Each section uses a constant ratio (1 column for the label, 3 columns for the content). Limit yourself to 3 typographic hierarchy levels total — title, subtitle, body. Add no decorative ornament: no bullets, no icons, no rules. Readability emerges exclusively from whitespace and typography. For senior profiles, don't hesitate to leave two well-spaced pages with generous whitespace rather than cramming everything into one dense page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Helvetica Neue free for commercial use?
Helvetica Neue is a proprietary Linotype/Monotype font requiring a license. The template uses Inter as default fallback — free under SIL Open Font License and visually very close to Helvetica Neue. For strictly personal use (job application), the substitution is invisible. For commercial freelance use, verify your Adobe Fonts license or purchase the official Linotype license.
Does it suit applications to investment finance in NYC?
Yes for M&A boutiques and independent advisory firms (Centerview Partners, Evercore Restructuring, PJT Partners) that value visual discipline. For bulge-bracket investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan IB), the Corporate or Elegant Serif templates remain preferable — the culture there stays more serif-coded and less modernist in its presentation expectations.
Should I use it for an academic humanities position?
Rather not — prefer the academic template matched to your discipline (Anthropology, History), which offers serif typography aligned with humanities conventions. Swiss Grid fits better academics in design, architecture, urbanism, quantitative economics or management science where visual rigour is itself part of the disciplinary practice expected by hiring committees.
