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Set and Exhibit Designers

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)	Projected Growth (2023-2033)
National Statistics	$66,280	2400	5.1%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$66,280

Median Wage (USD, 2023)

2400

Projected Job Openings (2023-2033)

5.1%

Projected Growth (2023-2033)

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.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
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).
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.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree

Related Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: N.A.

On-the-Job Training: None or short demonstration

Detailed Work Activities

Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
Confer with clients to determine needs.
Estimate costs for projects or productions.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Coordinate construction or installation activities.
Inspect sets or exhibits.
Coordinate logistics for productions or events.
Present work to clients for approval.
Determine technical requirements of productions or projects.
Draw detailed or technical illustrations.
Select materials or props.
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work.
Develop artistic or design concepts for decoration, exhibition, or commercial purposes.
Construct distinctive physical objects for artistic, functional, or commercial purposes.
Coordinate construction or installation activities.
Select materials or props.
Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
Coordinate design activities.
Inspect sets or exhibits.
Design layout of art or product exhibits, displays, or promotional materials.
Build models, patterns, or templates.
Study scripts to determine project requirements.
Discuss production content and progress with others.
Coordinate construction or installation activities.
Promote products, activities, or organizations.
Maintain security.
Construct exhibits or parts of exhibits.
Coordinate construction or installation activities.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

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.
Direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements.
Coordinate the transportation of sets that are built off-site, and coordinate their setup at the site of use.
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.
Select and purchase lumber and hardware necessary for set construction.
Arrange for outside contractors to construct exhibit structures.
Incorporate security systems into exhibit layouts.
Coordinate the removal of sets, props, and exhibits after productions or events are complete.
Provide supportive materials for exhibits and displays, such as press kits, advertising, publicity notices, posters, brochures, catalogues, and invitations.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 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. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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