15 Essential Graphics Illustrator Skills For Your Resume And Career
Nancy Mason Graphics Illustrator Contact Info Huntsville, AL (660) 555-4800 Skills Identity Posters Layout Indesign Photoshop Graphic Design Quark Style Frames Web Services Apple Employment History Graphics Illustrator 2011 - Present Boeing Huntsville, AL Created artwork and page layouts for contract proposals.
Illustrate artwork for technical publications for digital release Design floor plan and layout schematics for Ground System Support installation team.
Created multimedia presentations, large displays, illustrations, cartoons and animation.
Coordinated layouts of logos and photographs from PhotoShop to QuarkXpress.
Prepared artwork for the Armor School in support of presentations, exhibits, publications, and training materials.
Hired and managed 3 senior graphic designers and established standards for graphics processes and production. Graphics Assistant 2005 - 2011 G&K Services San Antonio, TX Assisted designers with sketching and layout of presentation boards for new lines.
Put together layouts for various magazine and newspaper publications, direct mail, company newsletter and in-house event posters.
Worked directly with art directors on re- touching and illustration projects for major ad campaigns.
Partnered with graphic designers to develop artwork.
Build and assist in designing and editing websites, logos and other design projects.
Consulted, advised and proposed recommendations in design and layout of business and advertisement packages for Kinko's major business accounts. Ad Designer 1998 - 2005 J. C. Penney San Antonio, TX Created the in-store graphic design direction for the 2008 Father s Day, Baby Sale, and American Living launch.
Coordinated art direction of photography.
Established great working relationships with art directors, graphic artists, and marketing management.
Illustrated jewelry components in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Education Bachelor's Degree Graphic Design 1995 - 1998 Full Sail University Winter Park, FL
What qualifications do you need to be an illustrator?
If you want to turn your visual talents into a fulfilling career, you may consider the role of an illustrator your ideal job. So what qualifications do you need to be an illustrator?
To become an illustrator it is recommended to take formal training in illustration. This helps increase your chances of being employed to create work for video games, films and publishing. Having a base understanding of professional techniques, character designs and working to a brief puts you in a good place to become a professional illustrator.
Other skills and qualifications to be an illustrator include:
1. Visual talent
Needless to say, you need innate affinities and sensibilities for the visual arts. You should have high-level drawing skills, as well as the ability to sketch, communicate visually and think in a highly imaginative way. An eye for detail is also important, along with creative problem-solving skills. The work of an illustrator involves the constant refining of concepts and design to achieve a final look.
Part of learning illustration is practising different visual styles so that you are adaptable and able to work in a variety of genres.
Over time you'll develop your own unique style of design based on your interests and personal aesthetic. Once you have evolved within your particular genre your own interpretation of its visual style will be your biggest selling point.
2. Sketching skills
The basics of illustration begin with a sketch. Sketching can be used to quickly explore concepts (which can be done on paper before using your digital devices); to determine basic layout or composition for your piece; or to develop ideas to show a client before investing hours of work into the polished piece.
Illustration student Tatum Cito's sketch of Elvin Shapeshifter.
Final rendering of Elvin Shapeshifter by Tatum Cito.
3. Ability to work with a client brief
Illustrators are expected to work within a brief, in which they are given the concept, style and a deadline. A good digital painter knows how to deliver to the expectations of the client/employer on brief and on time.
Be prepared to re-work concepts, respond to feedback and exchange ideas through the creative process. Suggesting alternatives, problem-solving and working effectively within the confines of a project as it evolves are all essential skills.
4. Good communication
Alongside your creative talents, you need to have excellent social skills.
The ability to get along with colleagues, clients and employers will be vital to the progress of your illustration career.
Being able to articulate ideas, suggest alternatives and clear hurdles are all part of the creative process. Building a client base and networking will also be all-important to launching your career.
Many illustrators are freelancers, so being considerate, professional and easy to work with will increase the likelihood of return clients.
5. Storytelling
Whether working on a film, an advertisement, a video game, a television series or in print media you are always telling a story through pictures.
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Understanding the basics of storytelling is a part of the illustrator’s toolkit. It may be as simple as evoking the emotion of a character through a facial expression, a gesture or a reaction. These are all mini-stories within a larger story that create engagement with the audience, keeping them entertained and immersed in the art form.
6. Understanding visual language
It goes without saying that illustrators are visual thinkers. They are sensitive to color, shape, texture, perspective, scale, proportion and balance.
The mindset of the illustrator draws inspiration from the natural world and imagines new worlds.
As you develop your visual skills you'll learn to think in a cinematic way - understanding lighting and cinematography, composing a scene, creating mood, expressing action and telling a visual story.
7. Experience with technical tools
Knowledge of design software is one of the qualifications you need to be an illustrator. There are a range of industry-standard platforms, namely the Adobe suite including Photoshop and Illustrator. Graphics tablets are the preferred hardware, replicating the feel and precision of a pen/pencil.
Illustration student Luis Inzunza shows his illustration process in creating Fox Girl.
Other popular illustration programs include Autodesk Sketchbook, Corel Draw and Corel Painter.
As you experiment with various software you may find a handful that you prefer and specialize in those environments. Remember, the more you know, the easier you are to hire!
8. Knowledge of design trends and history
If you love the visual realm you will have a keen interest in all its forms, media and genres. Comprehensive knowledge of the latest trends in all the visual arts are required for a career as an illustrator. Creative briefs may reference other works and styles, and it is your job to interpret these briefs in a competent and innovative way. Your expertise in design and all its expressions are highly valuable in developing a concept.
9. Formal art training
Illustrators can come from a number of training backgrounds: animation, graphic design, fine arts, digital media or visual communications to name a few.
While you don't need a degree to be a professional illustrator, formal training in this field will help you master art fundamentals which you'll draw on throughout your entire career.
If you are set on becoming an illustrator, CG Spectrum runs an Advanced Illustration Diploma course that teaches you how to create professionally polished art for films, video games and book publishing. It's part of a comprehensive study track that helps you get the qualifications you need to be an illustrator.
Led by award-winning artist Eric Wilkerson, you'll learn:
Art fundamentals including color, composition, values and lighting
The history of contemporary art
Character design
Thumbnail sketching
How to work to client briefs
Photoshop techniques to speed up your workflow
Planning your time efficiently to meet deadlines
Eric has worked in film, advertising, game development and publishing. He has worked for industry giants such as Disney Publishing, Random House and Weta Workshop, and will help you explore different types of illustration careers and provide sage advice as you launch your own career.
Under Eric’s guidance, you will finish the course with an impressive portfolio of work to present to prospective employers.
In summary, the qualifications you need to be an illustrator are based on natural ability refined by practice and knowledge of industry-standard software. This is a vocational career where immersing yourself in the world of visual expression is a passion that some days won’t seem like work at all.
An even temperament and professional work ethic can help navigate you through the tricky business of dealing with clients’ needs, critical feedback and meeting tight deadlines. Be creative with your social skills and learn to ride the wave of the complex creative process in the workplace to keep your clients coming back.
As you learn your craft and explore your interests you'll carve out your own individual aesthetic. Finding illustration jobs will be a matter of aligning yourself with projects and employers who share your vision, and that is the greatest partnership of all!
We hope this has helped you understand what qualifications you need to be an illustrator. To start your journey as a digital painter and create your own professional portfolio to show clients, hit the button below for more information on Eric's course.
Illustrator Must-Have Skills List & Keywords for Your Resume
Illustrator Must-Have Resume Skills and Keywords
Are you interested in improving your job outlook and increasing your salary? How can you demonstrate that you are the most qualified candidate for an Illustrator position? Of course continuing to gain experience working as an Illustrator may be your best qualification, but there are other ways you can also develop your skills, like continuing education or volunteer opportunities. More immediately, however, you can be ready for your next opportunity or promotion by educating yourself about the duties, responsibilities, and required skills of an Illustrator and making sure your resume reflects your experience properly. We designed the ZipRecruiter Career Keyword Mapper to help you solve this problem and hopefully improve your resume. Using machine learning tools paired with industry research, our Marketplace Research Team helped analyze millions of job postings and resumes to identify the most important keywords related to Illustrator jobs. Our goal is to help you discover opportunities to improve your resume or to help you understand what skills and qualifications you need to be an Illustrator or to advance your career into beyond this role.
Top Skills Mentioned in Job Descriptions 10 Job Skills TopJob Skills The top three keywords employers use in Illustrator job descriptions are Illustration Design appearing in 29.38% of postings, Graphic Design 13.61%, and Adobe Photoshop appearing in 12.6%. 55.59% of Illustrator job postings have at least one of these terms indicating the value employers place commonly place on these experiences when hiring candidates. Collaboration, Digital and Detail Oriented are still quite important, but a smaller sliceof the employer Illustrator job postings with their combined total of 23.63%. At 20.78%, Innovation, Adobe Illustrator, Translation, and Technical appear far less frequently, but are still a significant portion of the 10 top Illustrator skills and requirements according to employers.
Top Skills Mentioned in Resumes 10 Job Skills TopJob Skills The top three keywords people who held Illustrator descriptions listed on their resumes are Adobe Photoshop (appearing on 20.48%), Illustration Design (appearing on 17.97%), and Graphic Design (appearing on 12.12%). 50.57% of resumes with Illustrator descriptions have at least one of these terms. The Resume Checklist will help you make sense of whether or not employers are also demanding these skills. Adobe Illustrator, Social Media, and Digital represent a very decent share of skills found on resumes for Illustrator with 26.93% of the total. At 22.51%, Adobe InDesign, Collaboration, MS Office, and Adobe Products appear far less frequently, but are still a significant portion of the 10 top Illustrator skills and qualifications found on resumes.
Most Important Skills Required to Be an Illustrator as Listed by Employers and Employees Here is a simple table of the top 10 skills and qualifications as listed by employers in Illustrator job postings since January of 2018, followed by the top 10 skills and qualifications most commonly listed by people who held the title of Illustrator on their resumes. Top Illustrator Skills Skills Required by Employers Share Illustration Design 29.38% Graphic Design 13.61% Adobe Photoshop 12.60% Collaboration 9.45% Digital 7.17% Detail Oriented 7.01% Innovation 6.11% Adobe Illustrator 5.28% Translation 4.79% Technical 4.60% Skills Listed by Employees Share Adobe Photoshop 20.48% Illustration Design 17.97% Graphic Design 12.12% Adobe Illustrator 10.51% Social Media 8.23% Digital 8.19% Adobe InDesign 6.72% Collaboration 5.88% MS Office 4.97% Adobe Products 4.94%
Illustrator Resume Checklist Our Resume Keyword Checklist is based upon an analysis of the most commonly found terms within both job descriptions and resumes for Illustrator roles. Our algorithm helps isolate phrases and patterns to identify the most frequently recurring and reused keywords from each data source, while correcting for uncommon and outlier results. Various heuristic methodologies are then applied to ultimately create two top 20 lists of the most important and significant skills, certificates and requirements found within Illustrator job postings and resumes. We then merge the two lists together and use a combination of statistics and rules-based scenarios to create a list that is audited by the Marketplace Research team, and finally turned into the checklist you see below. Our hope is that knowing this information can help you make your best impression with your next potential employer. Uncommon Keywords on Illustrator Resumes Job Descriptions Resumes 25% 50% 75% 100% Translation Innovation Employer job listings often list Translation or Innovation as requirements in Illustrator job descriptions; however, job seekers mention them far less frequently on their resumes. If you possess any or all of these experiences, including these keywords prominently on your resume when applying for an Illustrator role may help you stand out more to hiring managers. Common Keywords on Illustrator Resumes Job Descriptions Resumes 25% 50% 75% 100% Accuracy Iconography User Experience Creative Design Detail Oriented Typography Illustration Design Collaboration Technical Communication Skills Graphic Design Both employer job listings and resumes from people who’ve held the role of Illustrator tend to always include skills and requirements found in this list. Whether you’ve only got Accuracy, Iconography, User Experience, Creative Design, Detail Oriented, Typography, Illustration Design, Collaboration, Technical, Communication Skills or Graphic Design in your background and experience, make sure to highlight the term prominently on your resume. As a job seeker you’ll be competing with many others who are bound to have as many as you (or more!) of these common resume keywords highlighted in their application for a job as an Illustrator. Uncommon Keywords on Illustrator Job Descriptions Job Descriptions Resumes 25% 50% 75% 100% Digital Adobe Creative Suite Adobe Products MS Office Editing After Effects Design Adobe Photoshop Storyboarding Adobe Illustrator Photography Adobe InDesign Employer job listings seldom list Digital, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Products, MS Office, Editing, After Effects Design, Adobe Photoshop, Storyboarding, Adobe Illustrator, Photography or Adobe InDesign as important skills or qualifications in Illustrator job descriptions. Nevertheless, job seekers mention them much more commonly in their resumes. If you possess any or all of these experiences, including these keywords prominently on your resume when applying for an Illustrator role may go unnoticed or even discounted by hiring managers.
FAQs about Illustrator Skills and Resume Keywords What are the most important Illustrator job skills to have on my resume? The most common important skills required by employers are Accuracy, Iconography, User Experience, Creative Design, Detail Oriented, Typography and Illustration Design. These skills and requirements are just as likely to be mentioned by employers as well as on resumes of people that held a job as an Illustrator, suggesting that having these keywords on a resume are important for success as an Illustrator. Additionally, employer Illustrator job descriptions list Translation as a desirable experience, even though Translation appears 3.6 times less on resumes, suggesting that it's worth considering including this term if you possess the experience. What are the least important Illustrator job skills to have on my resume? Although you'd probably love to load up your resume with every possible keyword you can, employers tend to look for the things they specify in the job description. Our analysis suggests that highlighting too prominently terms like Digital, Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Products, MS Office, Editing, After Effects Design and Adobe Photoshop may be something to reconsider. These 7 terms appear 2.26, 2.32, 2.43, 2.44, 2.66, 2.68 and 3.22 times less frequently, respectively, than in job descriptions for an Illustrator position. This indicates that highlighting any of these keywords on your resume may not be a great way to stand out to a potential employer. How do I make sure my resume has all of the right keywords for an Illustrator position?
Accuracy
Iconography
User Experience
Creative Design
Detail Oriented
Typography
Illustration Design
Collaboration
Technical
Communication Skills
Graphic Design Additionally employers frequently list the following as desirable qualities in an Illustrator candidate, but they are far less common on most resumes:
Translation
Innovation Finally people who held the position of an Illustrator and list it on their resume are adding these terms that are less likely to be noticed by employers. You may want to consider downplaying these terms on your Illustrator application:
Digital
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Products
MS Office
Editing
After Effects Design
Adobe Photoshop
Storyboarding
Adobe Illustrator
Photography
Adobe InDesign Unless your resume has a good density of the following skills and experience listed, you may not be considered for the role of Illustrator. Make sure to include a strong showing for the following keywords on your resume:Additionally employers frequently list the following as desirable qualities in an Illustrator candidate, but they are far less common on most resumes:Finally people who held the position of an Illustrator and list it on their resume are adding these terms that are less likely to be noticed by employers. You may want to consider downplaying these terms on your Illustrator application:
