Illustrator to desktop publisher
An illustrator already meets 37% of what the desktop publisher role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.6/ 100
1 How much of what a desktop publisher is expected to do is already part of an illustrator’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 9 of its required skills as things an illustrator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT software specifications
- apply desktop publishing techniques
- copyright legislation
- desktop publishing
- finish project within budget
- follow a brief
What stands in the way is 11 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 an illustrator background worth leading with.
- already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held edit negatives working with computers
- already held edit photographs working with computers
- 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)
All 13 carried skills, including the 9 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 adapt to type of media 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 develop creative ideas 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 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 adapt to type of media practise this
- 03 align content with form 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 ICT software specifications knowledge
- 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 edit negatives skill
- already held edit photographs skill
- already held perform image editing skill
20 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 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 develop creative ideas 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
24 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 art history knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productions skill
- not needed by the target role consult with business clients skill
- not needed by the target role contextualise artistic work 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 design greeting cards skill
- not needed by the target role develop artistic educational activities skill
- not needed by the target role develop educational resources skill
- not needed by the target role ensure visual quality of the set skill
- not needed by the target role gather reference materials skill
- not needed by the target role gather reference materials for artwork skill
- not needed by the target role intellectual property law knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret illustration needs skill
- not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
- not needed by the target role plan art educational activities skill
- not needed by the target role select illustration styles skill
- not needed by the target role use digital illustration techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional illustration techniques 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 an illustrator become a desktop publisher?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An illustrator already covers 37% of what a desktop publisher is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 9 of which the desktop publisher role treats as required.
What skills does an illustrator need to become a desktop publisher?
11 required skills are missing, plus 20 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 illustrator to desktop publisher?
Its learning distance is 65.6 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.