Set and Exhibit Designers

Median salary

$75,240

Average salary

$83,160

Employment

10,630

Projected growth

2.3% growth

Annual openings

2,500

Typical entry education

Bachelor's degree

What Set and Exhibit Designers 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 63.5%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Fine Artsimportance 5.0/5
Designimportance 4.9/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
Building and Constructionimportance 3.5/5
History and Archeologyimportance 3.4/5
English Languageimportance 3.2/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 3.1/5
Production and Processingimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.9/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
Telephone Conversations4.3/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.2/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.2/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Landscape Architects96% skill match
Financial Managers96% skill match
Fashion Designers96% skill match
Art Directors96% skill match
Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers96% skill match
Interior Designers95% skill match
Floral Designers95% skill match
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Analysisimportance 3.8/5
Time Managementimportance 3.8/5
Coordinationimportance 3.5/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.4/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.4/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
Negotiationimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Act-3D Quest3D
Adobe Director
AutoDesSys form Z
Autodesk 3ds Max
Autodesk Maya
Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
Figure 53 QLab

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Innovation
Attention to Detail
Adaptability
Achievement Orientation
Dependability
Initiative
Self-Confidence

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ArtisticHigh
EnterprisingMedium
RealisticMedium
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
InvestigativeLow

Specific Interests

A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.