What you have to understand is the actual purpose of the resume. Your resume isn’t supposed to explain your career in detail, it’s supposed to give enough information to an art director (for design firms, or equivalent elsewhere) for them to decide to ask you in for an interview and portfolio review so they can get that detail. As someone who’s reviewed thousands of resumes for jobs, I can tell you that long resumes for people without the background that demands them are a turnoff and set a bad tone from the start.

If you need to give additional details about jobs that are specific to a position you’re applying for, that’s the kind of thing that needs to go in a cover letter. You can talk in your cover letter about how specific experience you have applies directly to the job you’re inquiring about.

Sometimes these work out, but when you’re looking at a picture in it’s entirety, it’s lacking. For example, there are punctuation problems many people aren’t familiar with. For example, “I’ve seen a lot of variations here; Some resumes have a generic…” Sentences beginning after a semi-colon are never capitalized unless it’s a name, place, etc. It’s stupid things you’ll edit until you’re blue, but simply never notice.

I’ve never seen a top-notch designer without text integrated into their work somehow (whether it’s an explanation or within the work itself). It’s something you really shouldn’t sacrifice.

I agree to keep your resume size to one page unless you have many years of experience.

Also I forgot to mention to keep a consistent theme/style between your resume, cover letter, tear sheet and portfolio so it feel like one big representation of yourself.