1. Show your design sensibility
Especially when you're new to the working world, you often don’t have real client work to show. But that’s not a deal-breaker – what really matters is giving insight into how you design, whether it's a real client project or just a passion concept.
Do your designs look visually harmonious? Do you have an eye for which fonts work well together? How strong is your visual voice? Is your work distinctive or easily recognizable?
It’s also interesting to see how you deal with current (UI) design trends – do you follow them, reinterpret them, or deliberately break away from them?
2. Offer a glimpse into who you are
Show us who you are. Of course, a single application can’t fully capture a person, but a good first impression can help you stick in people’s minds. It can also be a great conversation starter for your interview.
Maybe you have an unusual hobby, used your first (totally legal, of course) version of Photoshop at the age of six, secretly love Comic Sans, or sneeze when you eat chocolate? Charming little quirks like these can make your personal intro more memorable.
3. No copy & paste from the company website
If you're referencing parts of the company’s website, rephrase them in your own words. Copy-pasting our exact sentences into your application is easy to spot – and frankly, it’s much nicer to read something that actually sounds like you.
And if you’re thinking about using the company’s own design or branding in your application – please don’t (see Tip #1 again.) We want to see your design style, your creative decisions. That’s way more interesting than seeing a copy of something we already know by heart.
4. Design your application in a way that makes you smile
Imagine being the person who has to review dozens of applications in a day – bringing a little joy or surprise can go a long way. And honestly, you should enjoy it too.
Speaking from experience: the best responses I’ve received were for applications that I genuinely had fun creating – designing the visuals and writing the content. Everyone’s different, of course, but it really shows when someone puts heart into their work.
If your own resume layout bores you – why not do it differently?
5. Give specific and authentic reasons why you're applying
When researching a company you want to apply to, sometimes it’s the smallest things that spark your interest.
Do you like the type of industries they work in? Are you eager to explore a new field they specialize in?
Does their Instagram presence give you a warm feeling about the team and their work?
Are there people there you’d love to learn from because they’ve done XYZ?
Does their company culture reflect your own values?
If so, go into detail! These insights make your motivation feel real and help your application stand out.
6. Question outdated standards
I love design rules! But sometimes, knowing the rules gives you permission to break them.
Take the classic structure of a cover letter:
DIN 5008 formatting so the address fits in a little window envelope
Date in the top right cornerYour address at the top
"Kind regards" and signature at the bottom
Sure, that makes sense if you're mailing a printed letter – but if you're applying digitally, why not rethink the layout to better fit your style or design?
Maybe your headline is huge. Maybe the background isn’t white. Maybe the layout isn’t even portrait-oriented. Or maybe your cover letter is just the body text of your email?
Of course, don’t go completely wild and sacrifice readability – but challenge the rules where it makes sense.
7. Ditch the clichés
You're a team player, solution-oriented, and creative? Even if that’s all true, you can probably express it in a more authentic way. Try rephrasing and backing it up with a little context.
Example for “I’m a team player”:
"I believe some of the best ideas come from bouncing ideas back and forth with others. I really enjoy creative exchange and giving and receiving feedback – it often sparks new perspectives and makes the process way more fun."
