Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · Holland code AER

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: Display Coordinator, Exhibit Designer, Scenic Designer, Set Designer, Designer, Exhibit Coordinator, Exhibit Preparator, Historical Society Window Dresser.

O*NET 27-1027.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $75,240; Middle half earn $52,830 to $104,030. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 33% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +2% · Slower than average; 31,300 jobs in 2024, projected 32,000. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Set and exhibit designers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.9 / 5
Speaking3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
Writing3.3 / 5
Active Learning3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Fine Arts5.0 / 5
Design4.9 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.8 / 5
Building and Construction3.5 / 5
History and Archeology3.4 / 5
English Language3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic45
Investigative29
Artistic95
Social34
Enterprising49
Conventional38

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

interior architect · DE Innenarchitekt/Innenarchitektin · FR architecte d’intérieur
furniture designer · DE Möbeldesigner/Möbeldesignerin · FR designer mobilier/designeuse mobilier
production designer · DE Produktionsdesigner/Produktionsdesignerin · FR chef décorateur/décoratrice spectacle
interior designer · DE Raumgestalter/Raumgestalterin · FR décorateur d’intérieur/décoratrice d’intérieur
interior planner · DE Einrichtungsplaner/Einrichtungsplanerin · FR conseiller en architecture d’intérieur/conseillère en architecture d’intérieur
miniature set designer · DE Miniaturbauer/Miniaturbauerin · FR maquettiste de cinéma

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Interior designers (3421)40,600 employed
Clothing, fashion and accessories designers (3422)18,300 employed
Visual merchandisers and related occupations (7125)10,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.05. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (27-1027).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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