Art and design

ART AND DESIGN

Art and design — both involve compositions, using physical and visual means. Both share a base of knowledge and skill. Both involve applying imagination and creativity to the concepts they address. And yet they are not the same — obviously, you might think, of course, they are not the same. Difference between art and design is a continuing debate — So, Is there a difference?

As both fields have developed over the years, people have tried to separate the two. This is more difficult than one might think.

Design is no longer following cut and dried rules, and art is no longer just pictures in a gallery.
What if the architect that creates a building with curved, sloped sides, so that it looks like a continuation of the landscape — is this design or art? And what of the artist who uses typography and stencils as their medium — is this art or design?
The first argument one can make is that design is, in fact, a kind of art in its own right and that the attempt to separate them is meaningless. The other is that they are completely distinct practices that happen to share some attributes
Yet what each of these ideas seems to end up doing is arguing both sides. By pointing out the places where they diverge, we must also show the places where they fit together and vice versa. One of the recent researches has arrived a table to illustrate the differences between art and design, but in doing so had to find points of contrast that fit together.

Art, for example, was said to be an abstraction of the concrete, while the design was a concretization of the abstract. Art was said to act on the mind, while design acted on reality, and so on.

One cannot deny the differences between art and design. Yet the two still remain inextricably linked; in a gracious harmony with one another.
How far does this relationship go?
Art Questions, Design Answers
The typical approach to a piece of art is not to ask “what is its purpose?” but rather “what does it mean?” — a question that, invariably, leads to more questions. Arguably, the success of a piece of art might be measured by its ability to make people ask questions of themselves and the world around them. It exists to serve no purpose but its own existence — to be art. To challenge, or set people on a path of reflection.
Design, on the other hand, is intended to answer questions, beginning with “what is its purpose?” It does not challenge; it assists. It exists to solve problems. The problem could be anything from “how do I get more customers to notice my storefront?” to “how can we make the face of our watch easier to read?” or even “how can we make this safety belt more comfortable?”
Think of art you might see every day, street art, for example. Those huge, colorful murals one finds on city walls, designed to make passers-by think about the nature of society, or government, or themselves, even as they go about their daily commute.

This is art.

But what about the sign which tells them where the bathroom is, or the colorful poster informing them of an upcoming event, or the easily understood markings on the road which show the pedestrian crossing?
These involve shapes, and colors, and lines, but they are not forcing people to ask questions — they are answering them before they even arise. This is design.