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Set and Exhibit Designers

Typical education: Master's degreeModerate pressure

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Artistic: Creating, designing and expressing ideas through art, writing, music or performance.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $75,240 Median per year · $36.17/hr Most earn $41,750–$135,410

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Provide supportive materials for exhibits and displays, such as press kits, advertising, publicity notices, posters, brochures, catalogues, and invitations.
  • Inspect installed exhibits for conformance to specifications and satisfactory operation of special-effects components.
  • Direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements.
  • Confer with conservators to determine how to handle an exhibit's environmental aspects, such as lighting, temperature, and humidity, so that objects will be protected and exhibits will be enhanced.
  • Examine objects to be included in exhibits to plan where and how to display them.
  • Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions.

Job outlook

United States
1% more jobs by 2035, slower than average · about 2,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Self-employed (their own business)66.3%
  • Theater companies and dinner theaters5.6%
  • Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions3.0%
  • Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events2.1%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Master's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Set and exhibit design usually isn't a straight-out-of-school job. Most people spend about 4 to 6 years in school and early assistant work before they design sets or exhibits on their own.

  1. Bachelor's degree in theater design, fine arts, or architecture

    4 years

    You build the basics of drawing, design principles, and stagecraft, and you start a portfolio of your work.

  2. Master's degree in scenic or set design

    2-3 years

    You get advanced training in research, script analysis, and designing for stage, film, or exhibits, which is the education most people in this field are expected to have.

  3. Assistant Set Designer

    2-4 years

    You help senior designers with drawings, models, research, and production meetings, learning how a design becomes a real set or exhibit on a schedule and budget.

  4. Set and Exhibit Designer

    Ongoing

    You study scripts, meet with directors or exhibit teams, research architectural styles, and create the final designs for productions and exhibits.

Where it can lead

  1. Art Director

    4-6 years of experience first

    You move from designing individual sets or exhibits to leading the overall visual look of a project and managing the design team.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take drama, theater tech, or stagecraft classesThese classes teach you how sets are built, lit, and run, which gives you a real foundation for this career.
  • Take art, drafting, or design classesDrawing and drafting skills are the core tools you will use to show your design ideas to directors and builders.
  • Join the school play's crewWorking on set construction, painting, or props lets you see how design ideas become real and gives you something to put in a portfolio.
  • Take history or literature classesSet designers research time periods and architectural styles, and strong reading skills help you understand scripts.
  • Volunteer or work at a local theater or museumHelping with community productions or exhibit setups shows you the design process and builds experience for applications later.

In college

  • Major in theater design, fine arts, or architectureA focused major gives you the design, drawing, and history training that graduate programs look for.
  • Work on campus productions as a designer or scenic painterHands-on design and build work on real shows adds credits to your portfolio and shows employers you can deliver under deadlines.
  • Learn CAD or 3D modeling softwareMany design teams expect you to produce digital drawings and models, so these skills make you more competitive for assistant jobs.
  • Seek an internship at a theater, film studio, or exhibit design firmWorking alongside professionals shows you how the industry runs and helps you build contacts for future jobs.
  • Build a portfolio and keep it updatedA strong portfolio of sketches, models, and photos of finished work is often the most important thing you show when applying to graduate programs or jobs.

Tips for getting started

  • Start a portfolio early with sketches, models, and photos of any sets you have built, since designers are hired based on their work.
  • Get hands-on experience with school or community theater productions, even as a crew member, so you learn how sets are actually built.
  • Practice drafting and computer design tools, such as CAD or 3D modeling software, because many design teams use them every day.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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