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Career overview · SOC 27-1027

Set and Exhibit Designers

Design special exhibits and sets for film, video, television, and theater productions. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.

Also called: Designer · Display Coordinator · Exhibit Coordinator · Exhibit Designer · Exhibit Preparator · Historical Society Window Dresser

Median pay (national)
$66,280
$35,990–$129,420 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
10,850
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2.3%
~2,500 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for set and exhibit designers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $129,420 versus $35,990 at the bottom 10% — 3.6x. The median of $66,280 leaves roughly 95% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2.3% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 2,500 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 34 states with released data, California pays the most for this role (median $100,020, +51% vs the national median), while Kansas sits lowest at $16,730 — a 498% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing
  • Active Learning
  • Monitoring
  • Mathematics
  • Learning Strategies
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.
  • Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams relating to aspects such as special effects or lighting.
  • Read scripts to determine location, set, and design requirements.
  • Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions.
  • Attend rehearsals and production meetings to obtain and share information related to sets.
  • Confer with clients and staff to gather information about exhibit space, proposed themes and content, timelines, budgets, materials, or promotion requirements.
  • Research architectural and stylistic elements appropriate to the time period to be depicted, consulting experts for information, as necessary.
  • Collaborate with those in charge of lighting and sound so that those production aspects can be coordinated with set designs or exhibit layouts.
  • Design and build scale models of set designs, or miniature sets used in filming backgrounds or special effects.
  • Assign staff to complete design ideas and prepare sketches, illustrations, and detailed drawings of sets, or graphics and animation.

Tools & technology

  • Adobe Creative Cloud software
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Autodesk Revit
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
  • Oracle Database
  • Structured query language SQL
  • Trimble SketchUp Pro
  • UNIX
  • Act-3D Quest3D
  • Adobe Director

Knowledge areas

  • Fine Arts
  • Design
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Building and Construction
  • History and Archeology
  • English Language
  • Communications and Media
  • Production and Processing