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.
- Median pay
- $75,240
- Doing it now
- 31,600
- By 2035
- Up 1.4%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
2,200 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Examine objects to be included in exhibits to plan where and how to display them.
- Acquire, or arrange for acquisition of, specimens or graphics required to complete exhibits.
- Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed.
- Confer with clients and staff to gather information about exhibit space, proposed themes and content, timelines, budgets, materials, or promotion requirements.
- Estimate set- or exhibit-related costs, including materials, construction, and rental of props or locations.
- Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.
- Inspect installed exhibits for conformance to specifications and satisfactory operation of special-effects components.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftSee 880 colleges that teach it
- Design and Applied ArtsSee 679 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Creative and expressive
Leading and persuading
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $75,240 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.