Artists and designers both create visual compositions using a shared knowledge base, but their
reasons for doing so are entirely different.
Some designers consider themselves artists, but few artists consider themselves designers.
So what exactly is the difference between art and design? In this post, we’ll examine and
compare some of the core principles of each craft.
This is a subject that people have strong opinions about, and I’m looking forward to reading the
various points of view in the comments.
This post isn’t a definitive guide, but rather the starting point for a conversation, so let’s
be open-minded!
Good Art Inspires. Good Design Motivates.
purposes.
Typically, the process of creating a work of art starts with nothing, a blank canvas. A work of
art stems from a view or opinion or feeling that the artist holds within him or herself.
They create the art to share that feeling with others, to allow the viewers to relate to it,
learn from it or be inspired by it.
The most renowned (and successful) works of art today are those that establish the strongest
emotional bond between the artist and their audience.
By contrast, when a designer sets out to create a new piece, they almost always have a fixed
starting point, whether a message, an image, an idea or an action.
The designer’s job isn’t to invent something new, but to communicate something that already
exists, for a purpose.
That purpose is almost always to motivate the audience to do something: buy a product, use a
service, visit a location, learn certain information. The most successful designs are those that
most effectively communicate their message and motivate their consumers to carry out a task.
Good Art Is Interpreted. Good Design Is Understood.
respective audiences.
Although an artist sets out to convey a viewpoint or emotion, that is not to say that the
viewpoint or emotion has a single meaning.
Art connects with people in different ways, because it’s interpreted differently.
Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has been interpreted and discussed for many years. Just why is she smiling?
Scientists say it’s an illusion created by your peripheral vision. Romantics say she is in love.
Skeptics say there is no reason. None of them are wrong.
Design is the very opposite. Many will say that if a design can be “interpreted” at all, it has
failed in its purpose.
The fundamental purpose of design is to communicate a message and motivate the viewer to do
something.
If your design communicates a message other than the one you intended, and your viewer goes and
does something based on that other message, then it has not met its requirement. With a good
piece of design, the designer’s exact message is understood by the viewer.
Good Art Is a Taste. Good Design Is an Opinion.
To a forward-thinking modern art enthusiast, Tracey Emin’s piece “My Bed”, which was shortlisted
for the Turner Prize in 1999, may be the height of artistic expression.
To a follower of more traditional art, it may be an insult to the medium. This goes back to our
point about interpretation, but taste is more about people’s particular likes and dislikes
rather than the message they take away from a piece.
Design has an element of taste, but the difference between good and bad design is largely a
matter of opinion.
A good piece of design can still be successful without being to your taste. If it accomplishes
its objective of being understood and motivates people to do something, then whether it’s good
or not is a matter of opinion.
We could go on discussing this particular point, but hopefully the underlying principle is
clear.
Good Art Is a Talent. Good Design Is a Skill.
More often than not, an artist has natural ability. Of course, from a young age, the artist
grows up drawing, painting, sculpting and developing their abilities.
But the true value of an artist is in the talent (or natural ability) they are born with. There
is some overlap here: good artists certainly have skill, but artistic skill without talent is,
arguably, worthless.
Design, though, is really a skill that is taught and learned. You do not have to be a great
artist to be a great designer; you just have to be able to achieve the objectives of design.
Some of the most respected designers in the world are best known for their minimalist styles.
They don’t use much color or texture, but they pay great attention to size, positioning, and
spacing, all of which can be learned without innate talent.
Good Art Sends a Different Message to Everyone. Good Design Sends the Same Message to Everyone.
This really falls under the second point about interpretation and understanding. But if you take
only one thing away from this article, take this point.
Many designers consider themselves artists because they create something visually attractive,
something they would be proud for people to hang on a wall and admire.
But a visual composition intended to accomplish a specific task or communicate a particular
message, no matter how beautiful, is not art. It is a form of communication, simply a window to
the message it contains.
Few artists call themselves designers because they seem to better understand the difference.
Artists do not create their work to sell a product or promote a service. They create it solely
as a means of self-expression, so that it can be viewed and appreciated by others. The message,
if we can even call it that, is not a fact but a feeling.
