Will “Show Design Supervisor” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Job Description

Design special exhibits and movie, television, and theater sets. May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate architectural styles.

Job Details

• The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 27-1027.00
• The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 57,600.00
• The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 27.00
• Currently, there are 12,060 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Set and Exhibit Designers”.

Also Known As…

• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Set Designer
• Set Decorator
• Scenic Designer
• Production Designer
• Exhibit Preparator
• Exhibit Designer
• Display Coordinator
• Designer
• Design Chief
• Theater Set Production Designer
• Stage Set Designer
• Show Design Supervisor
• Scenic Arts Supervisor
• Room Designer
• Presentation Specialist
• Museum Exhibit Designer
• Miniature Set Designer
• Food Stylist
• Exhibit Specialist
• Event Designer
• Event Decorator and Designer
• Display Designer
• Design Supervisor
• Art Director
• Art Coordinator

Tasks for “Show Design Supervisor”

• Examine objects to be included in exhibits in order to plan where and how to display them.
• Estimate set- or exhibit-related costs including materials, construction, and rental of props or locations.
• Provide supportive materials for exhibits and displays, such as press kits and advertising, posters, brochures, catalogues, and invitations and publicity notices.
• Inspect installed exhibits for conformance to specifications, and satisfactory operation of special effects components.
• Read scripts in order to determine location, set, and design requirements.
• Attend rehearsals and production meetings in order to obtain and share information related to sets.
• Collaborate with those in charge of lighting and sound so that those production aspects can be coordinated with set designs or exhibit layouts.
• Observe sets during rehearsals in order to ensure that set elements do not interfere with performance aspects such as cast movement and camera angles.
• Plan for location-specific issues such as space limitations, traffic flow patterns, and safety concerns.
• Direct and coordinate construction, erection, or decoration activities in order to ensure that sets or exhibits meet design, budget, and schedule requirements.
• Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction, layout, and material specifications, and diagrams relating to aspects such as special effects and/or lighting.
• Research architectural and stylistic elements appropriate to the time period to be depicted, consulting experts for information as necessary.
• Confer with clients and staff in order to gather information about exhibit space, proposed themes and content, timelines, budgets, materials, and/or promotion requirements.
• Design and build scale models of set designs, or miniature sets used in filming backgrounds or special effects.
• Acquire, or arrange for acquisition of, specimens or graphics required to complete exhibits.
• Develop set designs based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.
• Incorporate security systems into exhibit layouts.
• Submit plans for approval, and adapt plans to serve intended purposes, or to conform to budget or fabrication restrictions.
• Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery, and properties to be constructed.
• Design and produce displays and materials that can be used to decorate windows, interior displays, or event locations such as streets and fairgrounds.
• Coordinate the removal of sets, props, and exhibits after productions or events are complete.
• Coordinate the transportation of sets that are built off-site, and coordinate their setup at the site of use.
• Assign staff to complete design ideas and prepare sketches, illustrations, and detailed drawings of sets, or graphics and animation.
• Select and purchase lumber and hardware necessary for set construction.
• Confer with conservators in order 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.
• Arrange for outside contractors to construct exhibit structures.
• Select set props such as furniture, pictures, lamps, and rugs.

Related Technology & Tools

• Handsaws
• Paint application rollers
• Sewing machines
• Sound mixing boards
• General purpose paintbrushes
• Airbrush paint applicators
• Rotary saws
• Laptop computers
• Electric arc welding equipment
• Digital still cameras
• Portable stepladders
• Synthetic web slings
• Tablet computers
• Pneumatic nail guns
• Personal computers
• All-purpose scissors
• Furniture staplers
• Portable air compressors
• Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
• Claw hammers

• Figure 53 QLab
• Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
• McNeel Rhino software
• Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
• Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
• Act-3D Quest3D
• Autodesk Maya
• Google SketchUp
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
• Autodesk AutoCAD
• Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Suite
• Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Systems Adobe Director
• Microsoft Word
• Autodesk 3ds Max
• Nemetschek Vectorworks Spotlight
• Microsoft Excel