Graphic designer to cartoonist
A graphic designer already meets 43% of what the cartoonist role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.5/ 100
1 How much of what a cartoonist 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 cartoonist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cartoonist role treats 7 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
- copyright legislation
- create animated narratives
- develop creative ideas
- finish project within budget
- follow a brief
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 cartoonist 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 create animated narratives communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use traditional illustration techniques communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use digital illustration techniques working with computers
- already held design graphics communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held follow a brief communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held desktop publishing information and communication technologies (icts)
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the cartoonist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 create sketches required
- still to learn interpret illustration needs required
- still to learn maintain an artistic portfolio required
- still to learn practice humour 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 write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting 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 follow work schedule required
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held perform image editing 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 analyse texts to be illustrated practise this
- 02 create sketches practise this
- 03 follow the news 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held create animated narratives skill
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held design graphics skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use digital illustration techniques skill
- already held use traditional illustration techniques skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
51 held skills the cartoonist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D lighting knowledge
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Illustrator knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Photoshop knowledge
- not needed by the target role Adobe Photoshop Lightroom knowledge
- not needed by the target role Capture One knowledge
- not needed by the target role GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
- not needed by the target role Microsoft Visio knowledge
- not needed by the target role SketchBook Pro knowledge
- not needed by the target role Synfig 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 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role brainstorm ideas skill
- not needed by the target role computer graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role convert scribbles into virtual sketches skill
- not needed by the target role create 3D characters skill
- not needed by the target role create 3D environments skill
- not needed by the target role create advertisements skill
- not needed by the target role create moving images 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 develop an artistic framework skill
- not needed by the target role develop animations skill
- not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
- not needed by the target role digital compositing knowledge
- 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 graphics editor software knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs 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 motion graphics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
11 further entries not listed here
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
Other moves recorded from graphic designer
- special effects artist 56% covered · moderate
- animator 56% covered · moderate
- advertising copywriter 52% covered · moderate
- desktop publisher 49% covered · substantial
- animation director 47% covered · substantial
- animation layout artist 46% covered · substantial
- creative director 40% covered · substantial
- 3D animator 39% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a graphic designer become a cartoonist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A graphic designer already covers 43% of what a cartoonist is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the cartoonist role treats as required.
What skills does a graphic designer need to become a cartoonist?
10 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse texts to be illustrated.
How hard is the move from graphic designer to cartoonist?
Its learning distance is 58.5 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.