Annual Salary
variable
Average UK salary in 2019 was £30,378
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Arts & crafts or Fashion & textiles or go back to all job sectors
Set designers design and create the settings for commercials, television, theatre and films.
Average UK salary in 2019 was £30,378
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: freelance / self-employed; managing your own hours
There will be
1% more Set designer jobs in 2026.
In your local area
You may:
You could work in a theatre, in an office, on a film set, in a creative studio, from home or at a film studio.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
You can study for a higher national diploma or degree in a relevant subject, like:
Several universities, colleges and drama schools also offer courses in performing arts production or design for film and television.
You'll usually need:
You could learn some of the skills you need for this job through a college course like a:
You'll usually need:
You could start as a set designer's assistant, art department trainee, prop maker or a runner in film or TV and work your way up.
You should find practical experience and build a portfolio of your design work to show to potential employers. You can get relevant experience by getting involved in:
A portfolio showing sets you've designed for amateur theatre, school plays or films would be useful.
You can find out more about working as a set designer from ScreenSkills and other creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.
With experience, you could work on larger and more prestigious film, TV and theatre productions.
Creative Skillset and Creative Careers has more information on relevant courses and becoming a set designer.
You'll need: