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Exhibition designers work with organisations and individuals to turn their ideas into engaging displays.
You could work: evenings / weekends; attending events or appointments
In your day-to-day duties you may:
You could work at events, at a conference centre or in an office.
Your working environment may be you'll travel often and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
You'll normally need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like:
You may also find exhibition design options as part of some events management, and museums and galleries courses.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to get into this type of work as a junior design assistant. To do this, you are likely to need a qualification in art and design, like a diploma or an A level.
You are also likely to need experience in using computer-aided design (CAD) software packages.
You could volunteer to help set up exhibitions, for example with local arts festivals or in libraries.
This would help you gain practical skills as well as an insight into the project management that goes on behind the scenes.
The British Display Society offers a distance learning course, the Certificate in Display and Visual Merchandising, which includes units on layout, design and lighting.
You'll need to put together a portfolio of your work to highlight your design skills to show at interview. Work experience would also give you an advantage when applying for training and jobs.
You could join the Chartered Society of Designers, for professional development, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
You can find out more about creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.
With experience you may be able to progress to a more senior position, like team leader or senior designer.
You could also become freelance, or set up your own company.