Graphic designer to illustrator
A graphic designer already meets 34% of what the illustrator role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.2/ 100
1 How much of what an illustrator 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 illustrator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An illustrator role treats 5 of its required skills as things a graphic designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- copyright legislation
- finish project within budget
- follow a brief
- graphic design
- perform ideation activities
What stands in the way is 12 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An illustrator 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 perform ideation activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held design greeting cards communication, collaboration and creativity
- 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 edit negatives working with computers
All 14 carried skills, including the 5 the illustrator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 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 consult with business clients required
- still to learn ensure visual quality of the set required
- still to learn interpret illustration needs 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 create sketches optional
- optional, not held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held develop educational resources optional
- still to learn analyse texts to be illustrated required
- still to learn contextualise artistic work required
- still to learn gather reference materials for artwork required
- optional, not held gather reference materials optional
- still to learn intellectual property law required
- still to learn labour legislation required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- optional, not held develop artistic educational activities optional
- optional, not held plan art educational activities optional
- still to learn art history required
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an illustrator 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 art history study this
- 03 consult with business clients 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 14 skills that carry over
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held finish project within budget skill
- already held follow a brief skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held perform ideation activities skill
- already held apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- already held create animated narratives skill
- already held design graphics skill
- already held design greeting cards skill
- already held desktop publishing knowledge
- already held edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held use digital illustration techniques skill
- already held use traditional illustration techniques skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT software specifications optional
- optional, not held create original drawings optional
- optional, not held create sketches optional
- optional, not held develop artistic educational activities optional
- optional, not held plan art educational activities optional
- optional, not held collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions optional
- optional, not held create 2D painting optional
- optional, not held develop educational resources optional
- optional, not held gather reference materials optional
- optional, not held multimedia systems optional
- optional, not held perform image editing optional
50 held skills the illustrator 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 adapt to type of media skill
- 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 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 creative ideas 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 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
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
10 further entries not listed here
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 art history required
- still to learn intellectual property law required
- still to learn labour legislation required
- 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
- cartoonist 43% covered · substantial
- creative director 40% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a graphic designer become an illustrator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A graphic designer already covers 34% of what an illustrator is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 5 of which the illustrator role treats as required.
What skills does a graphic designer need to become an illustrator?
12 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 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 illustrator?
Its learning distance is 67.2 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.