# Templates and design

> Twelve templates on two rails, each carrying a grade, plus colours and spacing - and why a template is a set of values you can still change.

Source: https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/templates-and-design
Last verified: 2026-09-03

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There are **twelve templates**, and applying one takes a click and is undone with `⌘Z`.

## A template is not a container

This is worth understanding because it removes a fear people carry from other builders:

> **Note** - Applying a template does not lock anything or convert anything
>
> A template is a set of values for controls you can still reach afterwards - fonts, spacing, colour,
> how headings are drawn. Your content is untouched, there is no migration step, and switching between
> templates is free and reversible as often as you like.

So there is no cost to trying all twelve, and no "am I stuck with this now" moment.

## The grade on each card

Each template shows a grade. It is a judgement about **how safely a machine will read it**, not
about how attractive it is.

A high grade means a clean single column, unambiguous headings and no text in places a parser tends
to lose. A lower grade means it looks good and takes more of a risk - two columns, sidebars,
typographic flourishes.

> **Warning** - Grade matters most where you cannot see the pipeline
>
> Applying through a large company's careers portal, favour a high grade. Sending a PDF directly to a
> person who asked for it, the grade matters far less - the risk it measures is a parser, and there
> isn't one.

[The ATS check](https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/the-ats-check) tests your actual document
rather than the template in the abstract, which is the better question once you have written it.

## Colours and spacing

Each template has colourways, plus controls for density and spacing. Two things worth knowing:

- **Spacing is also a length tool.** Tightening it is often the difference between two pages and one,
  and [making it fit](https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/making-it-fit) uses it deliberately.
- **Colour should be an accent.** Headings and rules, not backgrounds. A colour that reads well on
  screen can print as a grey wash.

## Design last

The layout follows the length of the writing, so designing before the content is settled means doing
it twice. Get the words right, then choose how they look.

- [Making it fit](https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/making-it-fit) - When it is a page and a half.

- [Exporting your resume](https://www.revquix.com/docs/resume/exporting-your-resume) - Why the preview matches the PDF.