During our presentation earlier this week, someone brought up a great distinction between design and art – that design serves a functional purpose whereas art is for appreciation and awe. That was an interesting point, so I did some more digging on what the actual definition and existing notion is.
Here are a couple of perspectives on the similarities and differences between the two:
Art and Design – Are They Different?
Design vs. Art – Distinguishing the Creative
What’s the Difference Between Art and Design?
A couple of points that I got from it were:
- Art is meant to ask questions and challenge our preexisting notions of subjects. Design, on the other hand, is meant to simplify our understanding of subjects and find solutions. In the featured image, we see a paint brush resembling the fluidity of art, while we see a fountain pen representing the functional and efficient solution to typography.
- Art is subjective, whereas design is objective. What is art? We’ve already seen plenty of different styles, yet we can’t confidently say that one is more or less “art” than another. Yet, there seems to be an agreement on a scale of “design”. People are able to classify one design as “better” than another, leaving no room for ambiguity. It’s a strong statement to make!
- Art is personal, while design is communicative. The example used was an app. If an app does not have a great design and is not used by users, then it’s useless. They serve a purpose – to get others to use their features. Art, on the other hand, is often motivated by emotion and feelings – or so it’s said to be.
What do you think? I’d be interested to hear from you all and whether or not you agree with the above points!
