Resume Synonyms for Design

Want another word for Design to use on your resume? Our team's compiled the most effective action verbs and synonyms you can use instead of the overused resume phrase, "Design".

Kimberley Tyler Smith Author Photo
Compiled by: Kimberley Tyler-Smith
Senior Hiring Manager
20+ Years of Experience

Today, organizations constantly look for new ways to solve problems and improve processes. As a result, the ability to design is essential for success. So, when hiring managers see the action verb 'design' in your resume, they'll know that you can think creatively about how products or services should be created—and that these ideas could help their business improve its performance.

But, when you read a document, your brain tends to gloss over words that are not new or interesting. So if you're using the word 'design' many times in your resume, it's likely that you'll not get credit for it when recruiters scan your resume. Moreover, it's best to use the past tense of the action verb in your bullet points unless that role is ongoing.

To fix this, switch the word 'design' with synonyms such as 'revolutionized,' 'strategized,' and 'masterminded.' Using synonyms enables you to show what you've done without sounding repetitive and helps you get more credit for your accomplishments.

Employers are looking for fresh and exciting candidates to fill open positions. By using synonyms on your resume, you can show that you have a creative mind and aren't afraid of being different from the crowd.

I've compiled some synonyms you can use instead of Design on your resume, followed by real examples I've written for clients (feel free to use them!).

Resume Synonyms for Design:

  • Calculated
  • Accomplished
  • Framed
  • Mapped
  • Shaped
  • Strategized
  • Planned
  • Projected
  • Devised
  • Contrived
  • Charted
  • Arranged
  • Outlined
  • Conceived
  • Envisioned
  • Proposed
  • Invented
  • Improvised
  • Revolutionized
  • Masterminded

How to replace Design with a stronger action verb:

Let's look at examples of how you can remove and replace the overused phrase, Design, with a stronger synonym and alternative that is more effective at highlighting your achievements.

Before: Weak example using Design

Designed reusable assets to save time

After: Using a stronger synonymCreated reusable components like an authentication module, which reduced monthly development cost by $22K .

Replacing Design with Engineered

Before: Design

Designed a new marketing strategy

After: EngineeredEngineered a proven marketing strategy that increased company's market share by 12% within six months

In the revised version, I used 'Engineered' instead of 'Designed' to portray a more impactful role. I also quantified the achievement with a specific metric, hence demonstrating the candidate’s significant contribution.

Tip: I've prepared a ton of additional examples for you to give you inspiration. Please click on any of the following to expand and see real examples of how I've rewritten client bullet points.


How to use these synonyms in practice

We've put together an infographic to give you more examples of how to put this into practice. Note the use of strong action verbs instead of words like Design.


More resume bullet point samples that use strong synonyms

How to use Performed on a resume:

Performed DCF analysis to evaluate offers for company's sell-side process; qualitative offer comparison and quantitative model outputs were shared directly with client's senior management team.

How to use Led on a resume:

Led 2 business analysts to automate repetitive process flows using Excel Macros / VBA and reduce analysis time by 10+ hours per week.

How to use Liaised on a resume:

Liaised with marketing to drive email and social media advertising efforts, using predictive modeling and clustering, resulting in a 35% increase in revenue.

How to use Developed on a resume:

Developed a prototype to identify key influencers on Twitter using clustering techniques over 100,000 data points in Python.

How to use Enabled on a resume:

Enabled integration with existing systems by creating tool that extracts metadata from images and provides metadata to a system-wide search database..

How to use Formulated on a resume:

Formulated implementation plans for transactions in collaboration with senior members of trading, sales, compliance and legal teams; generated annual profits of $10+ million.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for Design on a resume?

Synonyms you can use instead of the overused phrase Design include:

  • Conceived
  • Accomplished
  • Charted
  • Envisioned
  • Revolutionized
  • Proposed

What are other words for Design on a resume?

Here are some synonyms for commonly repeated words, like Design, I see on resumes:

  • Improvised
  • Invented
  • Shaped
  • Calculated
  • Framed
  • Envisioned

Get a free resume review: Find out if your action verbs are strong enough.

Want to know what's holding your resume back? Upload your resume to the tool below. You'll get a report outlining what you did well, and what you need to improve.



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