Set and Exhibit Designers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-1027.00United States
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 annual earnings
- $63,168
- Projected change
- +5.3%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 21.7K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
47.6% of the workforce
Growing to 22.85K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What set and exhibit designers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.
- Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed.
- 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.
- Observe sets during rehearsals in order to ensure that set elements do not interfere with performance aspects such as cast movement and camera angles.
- Collaborate with those in charge of lighting and sound so that those production aspects can be coordinated with set designs or exhibit layouts.
- Select set props, such as furniture, pictures, lamps, and rugs.
- Design and build scale models of set designs, or miniature sets used in filming backgrounds or special effects.
- Examine objects to be included in exhibits to plan where and how to display them.
- Assign staff to complete design ideas and prepare sketches, illustrations, and detailed drawings of sets, or graphics and animation.
- Inspect installed exhibits for conformance to specifications and satisfactory operation of special-effects components.
- Estimate set- or exhibit-related costs, including materials, construction, and rental of props or locations.
- Plan for location-specific issues, such as space limitations, traffic flow patterns, and safety concerns.
- Acquire, or arrange for acquisition of, specimens or graphics required to complete exhibits.
- Design and produce displays and materials that can be used to decorate windows, interior displays, or event locations, such as streets and fairgrounds.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $26,096
- 25th percentile
- $39,143
- 50th percentile
- $63,168
- 75th percentile
- $102,916
- 90th percentile
- $171,898
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $63,168 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.3%average or slower
202521,701 jobs
2035 projected22,850 jobs
1,149 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 47.6%
- Bachelor's degree
- 33.3%
- Some college
- 9.5%
- Associate degree
- 4.8%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 4.8%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01VDC Coordinators111 postings
- 02Exhibits Specialists103 postings
- 03Exhibit Designers87 postings
- 04Lighting Designers84 postings
- 05Designers76 postings
- 06Exhibit Technicians76 postings
- 07BIM Coordinators69 postings
- 08Exhibitors69 postings
- 09Simulation Technologists54 postings
- 10Experiential Designers52 postings
- 11BIM Specialists43 postings
- 12Exhibition Designers40 postings
- 13Exhibits Managers38 postings
- 14Developers36 postings
- 15Technical Designers29 postings
- 16Exhibit Assistants28 postings
- 17Production Designers28 postings
- 18Art Handlers27 postings
- 19Gaffers27 postings
- 20Set Designers27 postings
Top employers
- 01Jacobs Solutions116 postings
- 02Merck & Co.49 postings
- 03CDM Smith46 postings
- 04Freeman42 postings
- 05Actalent34 postings
- 06Walt Disney34 postings
- 07Net2Source29 postings
- 08Flag & Anthem24 postings
- 09Insight Global22 postings
- 10Acosta Group18 postings
- 11Del Mar Fairgrounds18 postings
- 12GPAC18 postings
- 13Derse17 postings
- 14Ihire17 postings
- 15Sesco Lighting15 postings
- 16Envision Technology Solutions14 postings
- 17Kubik14 postings
- 18Robert Half13 postings
- 19System One12 postings
- 20HDR11 postings
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