Graphic designer to animator
A graphic designer already meets 56% of what the animator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
50.4/ 100
1 How much of what an animator is expected to do is already part of a graphic designer’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 animator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An animator role treats 10 of its required skills as things a graphic designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to type of media
- computer graphics
- create animated narratives
- create moving images
- design graphics
- develop animations
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 · What you already bring
Of the 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An animator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a graphic designer background worth leading with.
- already held Capture One information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held create 3D environments communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create 3D characters working with computers
- already held digital compositing arts and humanities
- already held create animated narratives communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create moving images communication, collaboration and creativity
All 26 carried skills, including the 10 the animator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 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 ICT software specifications required
- still to learn computer equipment required
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- still to learn analyse a script required
- optional, not held animate 3D organic forms optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held convert into animated object optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held create sketches optional
- optional, not held help the programmer define an artistic vision optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held manage feedback optional
- optional, not held manage portfolio optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- optional, not held motion capture optional
- still to learn study media sources required
- optional, not held study relationships between characters optional
- still to learn provide multimedia content required
- optional, not held rig 3D characters optional
- still to learn follow work schedule required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an animator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT software specifications study this
- 02 analyse a script practise this
- 03 computer equipment 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held computer graphics knowledge
- already held create animated narratives skill
- already held create moving images skill
- already held design graphics skill
- already held develop animations skill
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held motion graphics knowledge
- already held 3D lighting knowledge
- already held Adobe Illustrator knowledge
- already held Adobe Photoshop knowledge
- already held Capture One knowledge
- already held GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
- already held Microsoft Visio knowledge
- already held SketchBook Pro knowledge
- already held Synfig knowledge
- already held apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held create 3D characters skill
- already held create 3D environments skill
- already held digital compositing knowledge
- already held graphics editor software knowledge
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held operate 3D computer graphics software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held animate 3D organic forms optional
- optional, not held consult with production director optional
- optional, not held convert into animated object optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held create sketches optional
- optional, not held help the programmer define an artistic vision optional
- optional, not held motion capture optional
- optional, not held receive appropriate permissions for use of recorded audiovisual examples optional
- optional, not held study relationships between characters optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held manage feedback optional
- optional, not held manage portfolio optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- optional, not held rig 3D characters optional
38 held skills the animator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Photoshop Lightroom knowledge
- not needed by the target role adobe creative suite knowledge
- not needed by the target role advertising techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role brainstorm ideas skill
- not needed by the target role convert scribbles into virtual sketches skill
- not needed by the target role create advertisements skill
- not needed by the target role design greeting cards skill
- not needed by the target role design management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role develop creative ideas skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role digital media knowledge
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role edit digital moving images skill
- not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
- not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
- not needed by the target role interactive media knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role meet expectations of target audience skill
- not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role photography knowledge
- not needed by the target role publishing industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role respect publication formats skill
- not needed by the target role select artwork developed by staff members skill
- not needed by the target role translate requirements into visual design skill
- not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
- not needed by the target role use creative suite software skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use photographic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use word processing software skill
5 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 ICT software specifications required
- still to learn computer equipment required
- still to learn multimedia systems required
- optional, not held motion capture optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
Other moves recorded from graphic designer
- special effects artist 56% covered · moderate
- advertising copywriter 52% covered · moderate
- desktop publisher 49% covered · substantial
- animation director 47% covered · substantial
- animation layout artist 46% covered · substantial
- cartoonist 43% covered · substantial
- creative director 40% covered · substantial
- 3D animator 39% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a graphic designer become an animator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A graphic designer already covers 56% of what an animator is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 10 of which the animator role treats as required.
What skills does a graphic designer need to become an animator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is ICT software specifications.
How hard is the move from graphic designer to animator?
Its learning distance is 50.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.