Art Directors vs Set and Exhibit Designers: $115K vs $75K Median Pay

Art Directors vs Set and Exhibit Designers: what changes?

Consider Art Directors if you want to formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual productions and media, such as print, broadcasting, video, and film. Consider Set and Exhibit Designers if you would rather design special exhibits and sets for film, video, television, and theater productions. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Art Directors (5 years or more).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Art Directors and Set and Exhibit Designers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Art Directors

National median pay (2025): $114,850
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Work with creative directors to develop design solutions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 12,200

Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Art Directors brief

Set and Exhibit Designers

National median pay (2025): $75,240
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information, and available locations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,200

Know before you choose

Deadline pressure is a recurring condition rather than an occasional emergency.

See the full Set and Exhibit Designers brief

How the national numbers differ

Art Directors has the edge on annual openings

Art Directors is at 12,200 annual openings, compared with 2,200 annual openings for Set and Exhibit Designers.

Art Directors has the edge on projected growth

Art Directors is at 4.2% projected growth, compared with 1.4% projected growth for Set and Exhibit Designers.

Art Directors has the edge on median pay

Art Directors is at $114,850, compared with $75,240 for Set and Exhibit Designers.

Typical preparation differs.

Art Directors: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more Set and Exhibit Designers: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

67.4/ 100

Art Directors

40/ 100

Set and Exhibit Designers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence