Make-up and hair designer to costume designer
A make-up and hair designer already meets 76% of what the costume designer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
40/ 100
1 How much of what a costume designer is expected to do is already part of a make-up and hair 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 costume designer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A costume designer role treats 35 of its required skills as things a make-up and hair designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt existing designs to changed circumstances
- adapt to artists' creative demands
- analyse a script
- analyse music score
- analyse the artistic concept based on stage actions
- analyse the scenography
What stands in the way is 9 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 51 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A costume designer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a make-up and hair designer background worth leading with.
- already held develop the look of a production communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conduct costume research information skills
- already held research new ideas information skills
- already held verify feasibility information skills
- already held analyse the artistic concept based on stage actions information skills
- already held propose improvements to artistic production communication, collaboration and creativity
All 51 carried skills, including the 35 the costume designer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 define costume materials required
- still to learn design wearing apparel required
- still to learn develop an artistic framework required
- still to learn draw up costume sketches required
- still to learn select costumes required
- optional, not held adapt costumes optional
- optional, not held develop drama production process optional
- optional, not held organise costume fittings optional
- optional, not held work with the director of photography optional
- optional, not held work with the lighting crew optional
- still to learn gather reference materials for artwork required
- still to learn keep up to date on costume design required
- optional, not held draw up artists' measurements optional
- still to learn define costume fabrication methods required
- still to learn supervise costume workers required
- optional, not held lighting techniques optional
- optional, not held photography optional
- optional, not held draw up costume patterns optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a costume designer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define costume fabrication methods practise this
- 02 define costume materials practise this
- 03 design wearing apparel 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 51 skills that carry over
- already held adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
- already held adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- already held analyse a script skill
- already held analyse music score skill
- already held analyse the artistic concept based on stage actions skill
- already held analyse the scenography skill
- already held coach staff for running the performance skill
- already held communicate during show skill
- already held conduct costume research skill
- already held contextualise artistic work skill
- already held define artistic approach skill
- already held develop design concept skill
- already held develop design ideas cooperatively skill
- already held keep up with trends skill
- already held meet deadlines skill
- already held monitor developments in technology used for design skill
- already held monitor sociological trends skill
- already held perform quality control of design during a run skill
- already held present artistic design proposals skill
- already held prevent fire in a performance environment skill
- already held propose improvements to artistic production skill
- already held research new ideas skill
- already held safeguard artistic quality of performance skill
- already held translate artistic concepts to technical designs skill
- already held understand artistic concepts skill
- already held update design results during rehearsals skill
- already held use communication equipment skill
- already held use specialised design software skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held verify feasibility skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work safely with chemicals skill
- already held work safely with machines skill
- already held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision skill
- already held work with respect for own safety skill
- already held analyse the need for technical resources skill
- already held attend rehearsals skill
- already held calculate design costs skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held develop the look of a production skill
- already held document your own practice skill
- already held draw up artistic production skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held labour legislation knowledge
- already held lead a team skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held organise resources for artistic production skill
- already held prospect new customers skill
- already held provide technical documentation skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adapt costumes optional
- optional, not held develop drama production process optional
- optional, not held draw up costume patterns optional
- optional, not held organise costume fittings optional
- optional, not held work with the director of photography optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held draw up artists' measurements optional
- optional, not held lighting techniques optional
- optional, not held photography optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held work with the lighting crew optional
11 held skills the costume designer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply hair cutting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role create lifecasts skill
- not needed by the target role create wigs skill
- not needed by the target role decide on make-up process skill
- not needed by the target role decide on wig making process skill
- not needed by the target role design make-up effects skill
- not needed by the target role draw make-up sketches skill
- not needed by the target role dye wigs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain wigs skill
- not needed by the target role test make-up skill
- not needed by the target role update budget skill
3 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 CAD software optional
- optional, not held lighting techniques optional
- optional, not held photography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a make-up and hair designer become a costume designer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A make-up and hair designer already covers 76% of what a costume designer is expected to do: 51 skills carry over, 35 of which the costume designer role treats as required.
What skills does a make-up and hair designer need to become a costume designer?
9 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 define costume fabrication methods.
How hard is the move from make-up and hair designer to costume designer?
Its learning distance is 40 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.