# 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.

- **SOC code:** 27-1027.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1027-00
- **Also known as:** Display Coordinator, Exhibit Designer, Scenic Designer, Set Designer, Designer, Exhibit Coordinator, Exhibit Preparator, Historical Society Window Dresser
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- 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.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Fine Arts _(knowledge)_
- Design _(knowledge)_
- Fluency of Ideas _(ability)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Visualization _(ability)_
- Reading Comprehension _(essential_skill)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_
- Originality _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Computers and Electronics _(knowledge)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Microsoft Excel _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Autodesk Revit _(Specialized Skill)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(Specialized Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Adobe Creative Cloud software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Illustrator _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Photoshop _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Autodesk AutoCAD _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Autodesk Revit _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology, in demand)_
- Adobe Acrobat _(hot technology)_
- Adobe After Effects _(hot technology)_
- Adobe InDesign _(hot technology)_
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Access _(hot technology)_

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 61st percentile (Moderate) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 47th percentile (Moderate) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 63rd percentile (Moderate) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 77th percentile (High) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 4th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** yes — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 2.3% growth (About average); 2.5k annual openings; 31.3k → 32k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $66,280; 10,850 employed.

## How people actually use AI here

Anthropic Economic Index — measured AI conversations mapped to this occupation's tasks:

- **Automation vs augmentation:** 43% automation, 35% augmentation (usage-weighted).
- **Autonomy median:** 4.0 (higher = AI acts more independently).
- **Dominant collaboration mode:** directive.

**Tasks most handed to AI here:**
- Design and produce displays and materials that can be used to decorate windows, interior displays, or event locations such as streets and fairgrounds. _(1.6% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Examine objects to be included in exhibits in order to plan where and how to display them. _(1.1% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Select and purchase lumber and hardware necessary for set construction. _(0.6% of measured AI use; directive)_
- Direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities in order to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements. _(0.3% of measured AI use; directive)_

**Example prompts (honest phrasings of the tasks above — starting points, not endorsed instructions):**
- Help me design and produce displays and materials that can be used to decorate windows, interior displays, or event locations such as streets and fairgrounds.
- Help me examine objects to be included in exhibits in order to plan where and how to display them.
- Help me select and purchase lumber and hardware necessary for set construction.
- Help me direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities in order to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Anthropic Economic Index** (v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27)) — Anthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/economic-index
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-27-1027-00_