Advertising copywriter to cartoonist
An advertising copywriter already meets 22% of what the cartoonist role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
75/ 100
1 How much of what a cartoonist is expected to do is already part of an advertising copywriter’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cartoonist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cartoonist role treats 4 of its required skills as things an advertising copywriter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- copyright legislation
- develop creative ideas
- follow a brief
- practice humour
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cartoonist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an advertising copywriter background worth leading with.
- already held practice humour communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques working with computers
- already held develop creative ideas communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held copyright legislation business, administration and law
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the cartoonist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn adapt to type of media required
- still to learn create animated narratives required
- still to learn create sketches required
- still to learn interpret illustration needs required
- still to learn maintain an artistic portfolio required
- still to learn select illustration styles required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- still to learn analyse texts to be illustrated required
- still to learn follow the news required
- still to learn study media sources required
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cartoonist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to type of media practise this
- 02 analyse texts to be illustrated practise this
- 03 create animated narratives practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held practice humour skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held design graphics optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
29 held skills the cartoonist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse consumer buying trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
- not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- not needed by the target role brainstorm ideas skill
- not needed by the target role conduct search engine optimisation skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role create advertisements skill
- not needed by the target role create storyboards skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role develop media strategy skill
- not needed by the target role draft press releases skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate advertising campaign skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate writings in response to feedback skill
- not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role lay out digital written content skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role meet expectations of target audience skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role perform media outlets research skill
- not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role social media marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role types of media knowledge
- not needed by the target role typography knowledge
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
- not needed by the target role write to a deadline skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn graphic design required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
Other moves recorded from advertising copywriter
- advertising specialist 53% covered · moderate
- creative director 48% covered · moderate
- advertising assistant 36% covered · substantial
- advertising media buyer 34% covered · substantial
- speechwriter 34% covered · substantial
- desktop publisher 31% covered · substantial
- advertising media planner 30% covered · substantial
- copy editor 28% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an advertising copywriter become a cartoonist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An advertising copywriter already covers 22% of what a cartoonist is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the cartoonist role treats as required.
What skills does an advertising copywriter need to become a cartoonist?
13 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt to type of media.
How hard is the move from advertising copywriter to cartoonist?
Its learning distance is 75 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.