Arts and stage

Set designer CV: example and template

This example is for theatre, film and TV set designers, assistant set designers, exhibition and event space designers, and for set design graduates looking for their first productions.

The director and the producer want to know which sets you have designed, how you work with the budget and the workshop, which software you draw in and where they can see your portfolio. We show you how to describe this on your CV.

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Example CV: set designer

All the details in this example are fictional. Treat it as a model of layout and wording, and replace the content with your own experience.

Zofia Wasilewska

Set designer

Krakow +48 123 456 789 zofia.wasilewska@example.com portfolio: zofiawasilewska.pl

Professional profile

Set designer with a fine arts academy degree and 9 years of experience in theatre, film and TV. I have designed sets for 14 stage productions and 2 TV series, prepare designs, models and construction drawings, supervise set building and keep to the budget. I also design costumes for smaller productions.

Work experience

Set designer, freelance

01.2019 - present

Repertory theatres and TV productions, Krakow and across Poland

  • Sets for 10 productions at drama and musical theatres.
  • Designs, scale models and construction drawings for theatre workshops.
  • Supervising set construction and sign-offs at the workshops.
  • The set budget and choice of materials together with the technical director.
  • Set design for 2 TV series, working with the set dressing department.

Assistant set designer

06.2015 - 12.2018

Film productions, Warsaw and Krakow

  • Preparing technical drawings and prop lists.
  • Location scouting and photo documentation.
  • Coordinating set dressers on set.

Education

Master of Arts, set design

2010 - 2015

Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow

Skills

  • Set design
  • Models and construction drawings
  • SketchUp and AutoCAD
  • Supervising set construction
  • Budget and materials
  • Costume design

Awards and courses

  • Award for set design at a theatre festival, 2022
  • 3D modelling course, 2020

Languages

  • English: B2

Additional information

  • Portfolio in the link

I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).

How to write a set designer CV

Professional summary

Write what you design sets for: theatre, film, TV, exhibitions, for how long and how many productions you have done. Add whether you prepare construction drawings and supervise building, because it shows you run a project from the idea to the premiere. Put the portfolio link in the header.

Set design graduate with a diploma set for a production staged at the school theatre. I have worked as an assistant set designer on a short film and music videos. I draw in SketchUp and make models.

Experience: duties and achievements

Describe productions, their type and venue, your role and work with the workshop, the director and the producer. Add the budget if you were responsible for it. For assistant work, show which tasks you did on your own.

Weaker: Designing sets.

Better: Sets for 10 productions at drama and musical theatres.

Weaker: Drawings.

Better: Designs, scale models and construction drawings for theatre workshops.

Weaker: Supervision.

Better: Supervising set construction and sign-offs at the workshops.

Skills worth listing

List software, models, technical drawing, materials and the budget. In your soft skills show spatial imagination and cooperation, because a set designer connects the director's vision with what the workshop can build.

Professional skills

  • Set design
  • Models
  • Technical drawing
  • 3D and CAD software
  • Materials and techniques
  • Budget

Personal skills

  • Spatial imagination
  • Cooperation
  • Work organisation
  • Meeting deadlines
  • Creativity

Awards and courses

List festival awards, exhibitions and 3D software courses. A portfolio with photos of productions and designs is the most important document, so take good photos.

Set designer CV with no experience

Describe study projects, your diploma set, student films and amateur theatres. Add a portfolio with designs and models.

Start as an assistant set designer or in the art department on a film. Write which software and techniques you know.

Tailoring your CV to the job offer

A theatre looks for sets for productions and work with the workshop, a film production for work on location and with the art department, and an events company for designing event spaces. Move to the top what the job is about.

The most common mistakes on a set designer CV

Questions and answers

What should a set designer put on a CV?

Productions, their type and venue, designs, models, construction drawings, supervision, the budget, software, awards and a portfolio link.

Does a set designer need a portfolio?

Yes, photos of productions and designs are the most important proof of skill.

How do you become a set designer with no experience?

Through studies, diploma projects, student films and work as an assistant set designer.

Which software does a set designer know?

Most often 3D and CAD software, for example SketchUp and AutoCAD, and graphics software.

Create a set designer CV in the builder

In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.

Go to the CV builder

See also

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