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Creative & Design careers
Roles in Creative & Design: what they pay, where they're heading and how to get in.
Actor
Actors bring written characters to life on stage and screen, using voice, movement and interpretation to make a script believable.
Animator
Animators create movement on screen, building the characters, effects and sequences used in film, television, games and advertising.
Architect
Architects design buildings and the spaces around them, turning a site, a brief and a budget into something that can actually be built.
Architectural Drafter
An architectural drafter turns a designer's concept into the detailed drawings a builder works from, setting out dimensions, materials and construction details.
Art Director
Art directors set the visual direction for a campaign, publication or production, then guide the designers, photographers and stylists who build it.
Artistic Director
An artistic director sets the creative program for a performing arts company, deciding what gets made, who makes it and how it reaches an audience.
Arts Administrator
Arts administrators run the business side of arts organisations, keeping programs funded, scheduled and within budget.
Audiovisual Technician
Audiovisual technicians set up, operate and maintain the sound, video, lighting and projection equipment that keeps live events, broadcasts and meetings running.
Author
Authors write books, scripts and other long-form works, turning an idea or a period of research into a finished piece of writing.
Building Designer
A building designer turns a client's brief into the drawings and documentation a builder works from.
Casting Director
Casting directors find the performers a production needs, matching actors to roles and shaping how a script lands on screen or stage.
Ceramic Artist
Ceramic artists make functional and sculptural objects from clay, forming, glazing and firing each piece by hand.
Choreographer
Choreographers create the movement in a production and teach it to the dancers who perform it.
Cinematographer
Cinematographers design and capture the visual look of a film, series or commercial, and their camera and lighting choices shape how a story feels on screen.
Circus Performer
Circus performers rehearse and perform acrobatic, aerial and object manipulation acts for live audiences in touring shows, festivals and events.
Clothing Patternmaker
Clothing patternmakers turn a design into the pattern pieces a workroom or factory cuts and sews, so the garment fits the way it was intended.
Composer
Composers write original music for film, television, games and the concert hall, and shape how a scene or a work feels.
Costume Designer
Costume designers create and oversee the clothing performers wear, working from the script and the director's vision to shape how a character looks and reads on screen or stage.
Costume Maker
Costume makers cut, sew and fit the garments that performers wear on stage and screen.
Creative Director
Creative directors lead the visual and conceptual direction of a brand, campaign or production, deciding how it looks, sounds and tells its story to an audience.
Curator
Curators look after a collection and decide what it should hold, then build the exhibitions and interpretation that let the public see it.
Dancer
Dancers rehearse and perform movement for live audiences, film and television, turning music and ideas into a physical performance.
DJ
DJs mix recorded music for a live crowd, setting the energy of a venue and carrying it through the night.
Engraver
Engravers cut lettering, logos and decorative patterns into metal, glass, timber and plastic for awards, signage, jewellery and industrial parts.
Entertainer
Entertainers build an act, from comedy or music to magic or variety, and perform it live for audiences at venues and events.
Fashion Designer
Fashion designers turn a brief and a trend into original clothing and accessory designs that a business can make and sell.
Fashion Stylist
Fashion stylists choose and combine the clothing and accessories that give a shoot, campaign, event or client its look.
Film and Television Director
Film and television directors shape how a script becomes a finished screen production, guiding the story, the performances and the look from first read-through to final cut.
Film and Television Producer
Film and television producers steer a screen project from the first idea to release, keeping the creative choices, the budget and the schedule working together.
Florist
Florists prepare and arrange fresh flowers and foliage into bouquets, vase arrangements and displays for everyday sales, weddings, funerals and gifts.
Gallery or Museum Technician
A gallery or museum technician prepares, installs and looks after the objects in a collection, working behind the scenes so exhibitions are safe to display and open to the public.
Grip
Grips rig and operate the camera and lighting supports that keep a film or television shot steady.
Illustrator
Illustrators turn a brief, a story or an idea into original artwork, usually for a client who needs an image rather than a page of text.
Industrial Designer
Industrial designers work out what a manufactured product should look like, how it should work and how it can be made in volume.
Interior Decorator
Interior decorators choose the colours, furniture and finishes that make a room work, styling homes, offices and shops to a client's brief and budget.
Interior Designer
Interior designers plan how indoor spaces work and feel, turning a client's brief into a floor plan, materials and furnishings that suit the budget and the building.
Jeweller
Jewellers make and repair rings, pendants, chains and other pieces, working precious metals and setting gemstones by hand at a bench.
Jewellery Designer
Jewellery designers work out what a piece will look like and how it will be made, turning sketches, metals and gemstones into rings, pendants and settings.
Landscape Architect
Landscape architects design the outdoor spaces around buildings, balancing how a place looks with how it drains, grows and gets used.
Lighting Technician
Lighting technicians rig, focus and operate the lighting that shapes a stage, a set or a live event.
Milliner
Milliners design and make hats and headwear, often shaping felt or straw over a wooden block by hand.
Model
Models wear and present clothing, accessories and products for photographers, brands and live audiences, and the job is to make the look work on camera or on the runway.
Multimedia Designer
Multimedia designers turn briefs into visual work that moves across screens, video and interactive media.
Music Director
Music directors lead the rehearsals and performances that turn a written score into a live performance.
Music Producer
Music producers shape how a recording sounds, working with artists from the first demo through to the finished master.
Musical Instrument Maker
Musical instrument makers build and repair guitars, violins, woodwinds and other instruments, shaping wood, metal and other materials into something a musician can play.
Musician
Musicians write, arrange and perform music for audiences, recordings or other people's projects, usually piecing together a living from several of these at once.
Photo Lab Technician
Photo lab technicians turn customers' film and digital files into finished prints, enlargements and photo products.
Photography Assistant
Photography assistants support photographers on shoots, preparing cameras, lighting and files so a session runs smoothly and the images come back to brief.
Piano Tuner
Piano tuners adjust the strings and mechanical parts of acoustic pianos so the instrument sounds in tune and responds evenly for the people who play it.
Picture Framer
Picture framers cut, join and finish the frames that protect artworks and photographs, and help customers decide how a piece will be presented.
Production Assistant
Production assistants keep film, television and advertising shoots on schedule by handling the call sheets, paperwork and logistics that let cast and crew get on with filming.
Production Coordinator
Production coordinators keep the schedule, budget and logistics of a film, television or content production on track from pre-production through to wrap.
Production Designer
Production designers create the visual world of a film, television show or stage production, deciding how each set looks and how it gets built.
Pyrotechnician
Pyrotechnicians plan and fire the fireworks and pyrotechnic effects that open concerts, close festivals and mark public celebrations.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters write the scripts that film, television and digital productions are built from, working out story, character and dialogue scene by scene.
Sculptor
Sculptors make three-dimensional work in materials such as stone, metal, clay and wood, for commissions, exhibitions and public spaces.
Sign Writer
Sign writers design, make and install the signs that identify a business, from vinyl lettering on a shopfront to hand-painted work on a vehicle.
Singer
Singers use their voice as the main instrument, performing songs live and in recordings for audiences, producers and directors.
Sound Engineer
Sound engineers record, mix and manage audio for music, live shows and broadcast, shaping how a performance or a recording actually ends up sounding.
Special Effects Technician
Special effects technicians build and operate the physical effects a production needs, from prosthetics and animatronics to rain, wind and controlled fire.
Stage Manager
Stage managers run the backstage side of a production, keeping rehearsals, cues and cast on schedule so every performance runs the same way.
Stagehand
Stagehands build, move and run the physical side of a live show, from the set and lights to the sound gear, so the performance starts on time.
Stunt Performer
Stunt performers carry out the falls, fights, wire work and driving a script calls for, making the danger look real while keeping the cast and crew safe.
Tailor
Tailors make and alter garments so they fit one person properly, working from measurements rather than standard sizes.
Tattoo Artist
Tattoo artists design and apply permanent body art, turning a client's idea into a drawing, then a stencil, then ink under the skin with strict sterile technique.
Technical Director
A technical director runs the technical side of a production, setting up the pipelines and tools a creative team works with and keeping them running through to delivery.
Textile Designer
Textile designers create the patterns, prints, weaves and knits that end up on clothing, furnishings and other fabrics.
Theatre Director
Theatre directors decide how a script becomes a live performance, shaping the acting, design and pace an audience sees on stage.
Theatre Producer
Theatre producers run the business side of live performance: they raise the money, assemble the team and get a production from script to opening night.
Urban Designer
Urban designers shape how towns and cities look and work, planning where buildings, streets and public space go and how people move between them.
Visual Artist
Visual artists make original work in paint, clay, print, digital media or whatever material suits the idea, then find ways to show and sell it.
Web Designer
Web designers decide how a website looks and works, shaping the layout, colours and navigation so visitors can find what they need.