Cartoonist to desktop publisher
A cartoonist already meets 39% of what the desktop publisher role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
63.7/ 100
1 How much of what a desktop publisher is expected to do is already part of a cartoonist’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 desktop publisher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A desktop publisher role treats 10 of its required skills as things a cartoonist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT software specifications
- adapt to type of media
- apply desktop publishing techniques
- copyright legislation
- desktop publishing
- finish project within budget
What stands in the way is 10 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A desktop publisher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cartoonist background worth leading with.
- already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held perform image editing working with computers
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held finish project within budget management skills
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques working with computers
All 13 carried skills, including the 10 the desktop publisher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 missing skills fall into 5 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 digital media required
- still to learn prepress processes required
- still to learn printing techniques required
- still to learn typography required
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held post-processing of photographs optional
- optional, not held reprography optional
- optional, not held spelling optional
- still to learn adapt to artists' creative demands required
- still to learn align content with form required
- still to learn translate requirements into visual design required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held work closely with news teams optional
- optional, not held apply grammar and spelling rules optional
- optional, not held proofread text optional
- still to learn develop digital content required
- still to learn search databases required
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held perform backups optional
- optional, not held problem-solving with digital tools optional
- optional, not held scan photos optional
- optional, not held digitise documents optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
- still to learn computer graphics required
- optional, not held adobe creative suite optional
- optional, not held assist customers optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a desktop publisher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt to artists' creative demands practise this
- 02 align content with form practise this
- 03 computer graphics study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held consult with editor skill
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held perform image editing skill
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adobe creative suite optional
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held digital content creation optional
- optional, not held edit negatives optional
- optional, not held edit photographs optional
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held perform backups optional
- optional, not held problem-solving with digital tools optional
- optional, not held scan photos optional
- optional, not held work closely with news teams optional
- optional, not held apply grammar and spelling rules optional
- optional, not held digitise documents optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held post-processing of photographs optional
- optional, not held proofread text optional
- optional, not held reprography optional
- optional, not held spelling optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
16 held skills the desktop publisher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse texts to be illustrated skill
- not needed by the target role create 2D painting skill
- not needed by the target role create animated narratives skill
- not needed by the target role create original drawings skill
- not needed by the target role create sketches skill
- not needed by the target role design graphics skill
- not needed by the target role follow the news skill
- not needed by the target role interpret illustration needs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain an artistic portfolio skill
- not needed by the target role practice humour skill
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role study media sources skill
- not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role write captions skill
11 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 computer graphics required
- still to learn digital media required
- still to learn prepress processes required
- still to learn printing techniques required
- still to learn typography required
- optional, not held adobe creative suite optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held interactive media optional
- optional, not held post-processing of photographs optional
- optional, not held reprography optional
- optional, not held spelling optional
Common questions about this move
Can a cartoonist become a desktop publisher?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A cartoonist already covers 39% of what a desktop publisher is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 10 of which the desktop publisher role treats as required.
What skills does a cartoonist need to become a desktop publisher?
10 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is adapt to artists' creative demands.
How hard is the move from cartoonist to desktop publisher?
Its learning distance is 63.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.