Production designer, theatre/television/film : Career development

To reach the position of production designer, you must have extensive experience built up over a number of years. It is common, in the early stages of your career, to work across more than one genre to maximise your chances of finding work and to develop skills. It is also quite common to work in exhibition design, museum design or design for corporate events.

Once you start to get paid work as a production designer, you build up your portfolio, contacts and expertise on an ongoing basis. This may take a substantial period of time but as your career develops you may be able to command higher rates and work on higher profile productions. At this point, many designers choose to employ an agent to negotiate on their behalf.

Sometimes, as a designer's career progresses, daily work activities become more conceptual. Bigger productions with larger budgets often have art department staff who do much of the practical realisation work, while the production designer focuses on the design ideas and concepts.

Some designers move into teaching on foundation, degree or postgraduate courses in art and design. Other designers move into directing their own productions.

A similar but alternative career option is that of costume designer. Also working in television, film and theatre productions, costume designers liaise with the director and lighting and set designers to establish the right look and feel for the costumes for a production.