The Difference Between Art and Design
It’s easy to say that the words, and works, of art and design can be used interchangeably. While they posses some similarities, they are two very different concepts in the fact they serve two completely different purposes.
Both art and design share what creatives call a process. In this process, creatives have taken up numerous hours, sometimes years, perfecting their skills and techniques, gaining knowledge and experience. Creatives have learned from other fellow artists and designers that there is no one “correct” process to get to their final end result - whether it be a sculpture or an app.
Although they share a common process, the WHY during the process and their final end result is what distinguishes them.
Art is Subjective, Design is Objective.
You may have heard that art is subjective. The final end result of an art piece is to allow the artist to express and evoke emotion. The sole purpose of art is to allow the expressionist a place to construct their opinions and beliefs to others, whether the consumers like it or not.
On the flip side, design would be objective, where its purpose is to solve a problem. While designers can evoke emotions through their designs - that is not their main goal. A designer’s main goal is to make something easier which would otherwise be considerably difficult for others.
"Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs
While everyone is rightfully allowed to express their opinions and talk about issues through art, it takes a different kind of thinking process to allow a creative to solve problems through design. At the end of the day, both the artist and designer only wish to translate intangible ideas into reality.
