RecordMove

Desktop publisher to graphic designer

A desktop publisher already meets 42% of what the graphic designer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From desktop publisher

Partial match

To graphic designer

19 You already bring

7 Still to learn

64 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a graphic designer is expected to do is already part of a desktop publisher’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 graphic designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A graphic designer role treats 12 of its required skills as things a desktop publisher already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adapt to type of media
adobe creative suite
copyright legislation
desktop publishing
develop creative ideas
develop digital content

What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A graphic designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a desktop publisher background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held adobe creative suite information and communication technologies (icts)
already held translate requirements into visual design communication, collaboration and creativity
already held interactive media arts and humanities
already held digital media arts and humanities
already held computer graphics information and communication technologies (icts)
already held edit negatives working with computers

All 19 carried skills, including the 12 the graphic designer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 45 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 14 supplementary

still to learn develop an artistic framework required
still to learn design graphics required
still to learn design prototypes required
still to learn respect publication formats required

optional, not held perform ideation activities optional
optional, not held create 3D environments optional
optional, not held create advertisements optional
optional, not held create animated narratives optional
optional, not held create moving images optional
optional, not held design greeting cards optional
optional, not held develop animations optional
optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
optional, not held operate 3D computer graphics software optional
optional, not held select artwork developed by staff members optional
optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
optional, not held brainstorm ideas optional
optional, not held draw design sketches optional
optional, not held manage contracts optional

02 working with computers 2 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn convert scribbles into virtual sketches required
still to learn use creative suite software required

optional, not held apply 3D imaging techniques optional
optional, not held create 3D characters optional
optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional

03 information skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn perform market research required

optional, not held meet expectations of target audience optional

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 9 supplementary

optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop Lightroom optional
optional, not held Capture One optional
optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
optional, not held Synfig optional
optional, not held graphics editor software optional

05 arts and humanities 5 supplementary

optional, not held 3D lighting optional
optional, not held aesthetics optional
optional, not held digital compositing optional
optional, not held motion graphics optional
optional, not held photography optional

06 business, administration and law 3 supplementary

optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held advertising techniques optional
optional, not held publishing industry optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a graphic designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 19 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adapt to type of media skill
already held adobe creative suite knowledge
already held copyright legislation knowledge
already held desktop publishing knowledge
already held develop creative ideas skill
already held develop digital content skill
already held digital media knowledge
already held finish project within budget skill
already held follow a brief skill
already held graphic design knowledge
already held identify customer's needs skill
already held translate requirements into visual design skill
already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
already held computer graphics knowledge
already held edit negatives skill
already held edit photographs skill
already held interactive media knowledge
already held use presentation software skill
already held use word processing software skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held 3D modelling optional

08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held use photographic equipment optional

38 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held perform ideation activities optional
optional, not held 3D lighting optional
optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop Lightroom optional
optional, not held Capture One optional
optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
optional, not held Synfig optional
optional, not held apply 3D imaging techniques optional
optional, not held create 3D characters optional
optional, not held create 3D environments optional
optional, not held create advertisements optional
optional, not held create animated narratives optional
optional, not held create moving images optional
optional, not held design greeting cards optional
optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held develop animations optional
optional, not held edit digital moving images optional
optional, not held graphics editor software optional
optional, not held operate 3D computer graphics software optional
optional, not held select artwork developed by staff members optional
optional, not held use digital illustration techniques optional
optional, not held use photographic equipment optional
optional, not held use traditional illustration techniques optional
optional, not held 3D modelling optional
optional, not held advertising techniques optional
optional, not held aesthetics optional
optional, not held brainstorm ideas optional
optional, not held digital compositing optional
optional, not held draw design sketches optional
optional, not held manage contracts optional
optional, not held meet expectations of target audience optional
optional, not held motion graphics optional
optional, not held photography optional
optional, not held publishing industry optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional

25 held skills the graphic designer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
not needed by the target role align content with form skill
not needed by the target role apply grammar and spelling rules skill
not needed by the target role assist customers skill
not needed by the target role consult with editor skill
not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
not needed by the target role follow work schedule skill
not needed by the target role grammar knowledge
not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
not needed by the target role perform backups skill
not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
not needed by the target role post-processing of photographs knowledge
not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role problem-solving with digital tools skill
not needed by the target role proofread text skill
not needed by the target role reprography knowledge
not needed by the target role scan photos skill
not needed by the target role search databases skill
not needed by the target role spelling knowledge
not needed by the target role typography knowledge
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
not needed by the target role work closely with news teams skill

18 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held 3D lighting optional
optional, not held Adobe Illustrator optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop optional
optional, not held Adobe Photoshop Lightroom optional
optional, not held Capture One optional
optional, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) optional
optional, not held Microsoft Visio optional
optional, not held SketchBook Pro optional
optional, not held Synfig optional
optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held graphics editor software optional
optional, not held 3D modelling optional
optional, not held advertising techniques optional
optional, not held aesthetics optional
optional, not held digital compositing optional
optional, not held motion graphics optional
optional, not held photography optional
optional, not held publishing industry optional

Index

Other moves recorded from desktop publisher

Full index of moves from desktop publisher

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a desktop publisher become a graphic designer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A desktop publisher already covers 42% of what a graphic designer is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 12 of which the graphic designer role treats as required.

What skills does a desktop publisher need to become a graphic designer?

7 required skills are missing, plus 38 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is convert scribbles into virtual sketches.

How hard is the move from desktop publisher to graphic designer?

Its learning distance is 66.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.