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.
10,630 people do this job in the US. $75,240 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 79%
- 3%
- 18%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 4%. Today's estimate: 8%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 27 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.Done daily by most who do it. | 22% | 1.7 work days6.7 h to 4.2 work days | 1%Half by Nov 2027 | |
| Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 20% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 3.1 work days | 3%Half by Oct 2027 | |
| Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams relating to aspects such as special effects or lighting.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 work days5 h to 4.2 work days | 1%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Research architectural and stylistic elements appropriate to the time period to be depicted, consulting experts for information, as necessary.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Design and produce displays and materials that can be used to decorate windows, interior displays, or event locations, such as streets and fairgrounds.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Design and build scale models of set designs, or miniature sets used in filming backgrounds or special effects.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 work days4.2 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Select set props, such as furniture, pictures, lamps, and rugs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | 38%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 4.2 h2.5 h to 1.3 work days | 33%Half by Nov 2026 | |
| Examine objects to be included in exhibits to plan where and how to display them.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h3.3 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Observe sets during rehearsals in order to ensure that set elements do not interfere with performance aspects such as cast movement and camera angles.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 2.5 h50 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Assign staff to complete design ideas and prepare sketches, illustrations, and detailed drawings of sets, or graphics and animation.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 2% | 3.3 h50 min to 6.7 h | 32%Half by Jan 2027 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).