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.
- O*NET-SOC code
27-1027.00 - Preparation Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$75,240
Employment, U.S.10,630
Median hourly wage$36.17
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $41,750 | $52,830 | $75,240 | $104,030 | $135,410 |
By state (34)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 70 | $46,280 | 0.30 |
| Arkansas | 50 | $38,700 | 0.53 |
| California | 2,690 | $105,030 | 2.16 |
| Colorado | 170 | Not available | 0.87 |
| Connecticut | 70 | $60,680 | 0.56 |
| District of Columbia | 190 | $76,900 | 3.93 |
| Florida | 740 | $60,750 | 1.09 |
| Georgia | 310 | $67,210 | 0.92 |
| Illinois | 330 | Not available | 0.79 |
| Indiana | 110 | $72,200 | 0.51 |
| Iowa | 60 | $50,640 | 0.61 |
| Kentucky | 40 | $53,260 | 0.32 |
| Maryland | 420 | $80,540 | 2.20 |
| Massachusetts | 230 | $74,540 | 0.91 |
| Michigan | 140 | $50,910 | 0.47 |
| Minnesota | 150 | $66,090 | 0.73 |
| Missouri | 290 | $51,610 | 1.46 |
| Nebraska | 50 | $73,980 | 0.68 |
| Nevada | 180 | $50,860 | 1.74 |
| New Jersey | 220 | $76,380 | 0.74 |
| New Mexico | 70 | Not available | 1.24 |
| New York | 1,690 | Not available | 2.55 |
| North Carolina | $49,410 | ||
| Ohio | 290 | $54,560 | 0.77 |
| Oklahoma | 50 | Not available | 0.39 |
| Oregon | 280 | $62,770 | 2.06 |
| Pennsylvania | 120 | $59,670 | 0.29 |
| South Carolina | 50 | Not available | 0.34 |
| Tennessee | 230 | Not available | 1.02 |
| Texas | 210 | $56,930 | 0.21 |
| Utah | 340 | $44,540 | 2.84 |
| Virginia | 120 | $58,650 | 0.43 |
| Washington | 170 | $77,230 | 0.69 |
| Wisconsin | 50 | Not available | 0.27 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Art Directors | 4 | 0.939 |
| 2 | Graphic Designers | 4 | 0.938 |
| 3 | Costume Attendants | 1-2 | 0.928 |
| 4 | Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | 5 | 0.927 |
| 5 | Landscape Architects | 4 | 0.921 |
| 6 | Interior Designers | 4 | 0.919 |
| 7 | Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.915 |
| 8 | Architectural and Civil Drafters | 3 | 0.912 |
| 9 | Video Game Designers | 4 | 0.909 |
| 10 | Fashion Designers | 3 | 0.908 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Set and Exhibit Designers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museum Technicians and Conservators | Writing | 0.76 | 0.906 |
| Prepress Technicians and Workers | Operations Monitoring | 1.12 | 0.873 |
| Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners | Service Orientation | 0.76 | 0.868 |
| Web Developers | Programming | 3.37 | 0.866 |
| Sustainability Specialists | Writing | 1.00 | 0.865 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Set and Exhibit Designers, excluding software Set and Exhibit Designers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe FreeHand MX | 6 of 20 | 19.8x |
| Computer aided design and drafting software CADD | 6 of 20 | 12.6x |
| JavaScript | 9 of 20 | 4.9x |
| Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D | 6 of 20 | 9.2x |
| Corel Painter | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| Figma | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| QuarkXPress | 5 of 20 | 11.0x |
| Adobe ImageReady | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Autodesk Mudbox | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Graphisoft ArchiCAD | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.38 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Fine Arts | 4.95 | 6.57 |
| Design | 4.90 | 5.76 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.81 | 4.67 |
| Building and Construction | 3.52 | 4.29 |
| History and Archeology | 3.43 | 4.24 |
| English Language | 3.24 | 3.62 |
| Communications and Media | 3.14 | 3.33 |
| Production and Processing | 3.05 | 3.43 |
| Mathematics | 3.05 | 3.19 |
| Administration and Management | 3.00 | 3.57 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.95 | 3.48 |
| Mechanical | 2.90 | 3.38 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.81 | 3.05 |
| Psychology | 2.76 | 2.76 |
| Education and Training | 2.62 | 3.48 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.48 | 2.71 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.43 | 3.00 |
| Physics | 2.43 | 2.62 |
| Geography | 2.24 | 2.76 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.24 | 1.57 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.19 | 2.33 |
| Administrative | 2.19 | 2.19 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.11 | 2.30 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.10 | 2.10 |
| Telecommunications | 1.90 | 1.52 |
| Foreign Language | 1.71 | 1.33 |
| Chemistry | 1.67 | 1.81 |
| Transportation | 1.67 | 1.57 |
| Law and Government | 1.52 | 1.24 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.33 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.29 | 0.52 |
| Biology | 1.19 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.10 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Fluency of Ideas | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Visualization | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Originality | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Oral Expression | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Near Vision | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Written Expression | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Number Facility | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Control Precision | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Memorization | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Depth Perception | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Static Strength | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.00 | 2.25 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Reaction Time | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 0.88 |
| Sound Localization | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Rate Control | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Stamina | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Night Vision | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Adobe Creative Cloud software in demand
- Adobe Illustrator in demand
- Adobe Photoshop in demand
- Autodesk AutoCAD in demand
- Autodesk Revit in demand
- Microsoft Excel in demand
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Adobe After Effects hot
- Adobe InDesign hot
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Oracle Database hot
- Structured query language SQL hot
- Trimble SketchUp Pro hot
- UNIX hot
- 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
- Graphics software
- Maxon Cinema 4D
- McNeel Rhinoceros 3D
All 31
- Nemetschek Vectorworks Spotlight
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1,870 | 4.37 | $106,880 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 310 | 3.21 | $61,370 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 240 | 2.86 | $62,770 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 160 | 2.77 | $63,920 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,620 | 2.50 | $86,880 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 220 | 2.41 | $80,280 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 180 | 2.30 | $50,860 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 420 | 1.94 | $82,960 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 170 | 1.86 | $55,730 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 290 | 1.76 | $109,120 |