Art vs Design and Color

The distinction between Art and Design is often times confusing for the casual observer; I strive to make this distinction in this blog post - in this post I will articulate the difference between Art and Design. In laymen's term, Art is an unrestricted expression of an individual, while Design doesn't have that freedom; it is bound by purpose and criticism. While it is possible to profit from self expression; it will have a limited audience because only those that share the artists vision will purchase the requisite artwork. While I'm not discrediting artistic expression; I find sense and purpose in design and with that, I will provide my own thoughts on the key differences between Art and Design.

Good Art Inspires; Design innovates.

Competition is what drives Design innovation; you want to be more competitive with your design, so you come up with better, more efficient design. Case in point: Jony Ive of Apple's design for the Apple Mobile Operating System, iOS 7 is very much Apple's interpretation of Microsoft's "Flat" Windows 8 UI.

Art is about re-inventing the wheel; sometimes Design is about incorporating the best elements that can maximize functionality. This is also a call back to the previous Android Design post about making consistent themes for Android so that it can be a seamless transition from home screen to app. 

Good Art is interpreted; Good Design is understood.

If a Design is flashy, but not functional, it does not withstand the criteria of good design; a unique artwork is subject to personal opinions on whether it is "good" or not. Good Design is understood through it's usage and application. If it produces desired results, then the Design will be categorized as "Good".

Good Art is a Talent; Good Design is a Skill

Art requires higher level of hand-eye coordination than Design; but a good Designer needs to have a high level of visualization so that it can plan out the Design ahead of time. To me, Art is the gradual perfection towards higher levels of brain hand synthesis; in that is indicates a high level of discipline and dedication. Design also requires commitment, but it is a more of Creativity and technical knowledge to succeed.

Good Art sends different messages; Good Design gives the same messages to everyone

As stated earlier, Art is subject heavily to personal interpretation, but Good Design will be structured in such a way that everyone should be able to have the same experience; it should ideally allow everyone to produce the same results (as in application design). However, as with art, things like Color and shapes will still play a role in determining individual responses to different styles.

In retrospect to all I said, I am an advocate of Artistic Design which is the pure fusion of Art and Design which is to achieve two clear goals; provide usability and functionality with an attention to the aesthetics.