Can I ask you guys a favor?
Hi, it's been a while! I noticed that there are a few readers who still check this blog occasionally so I'm posting this over here in addition to my new blog...
To help me for an upcoming project for one of my classes, I want to ask you a question:
What do you think is the difference between design and art?
I know lots of books and articles have been written on this topic but I want to ask real people how they feel about this. Can design be art and vice versa? And how would you define the terms?
(Something to think about: Milton Glaser reckoned that "whereas a design must convey a given body of information, the "essential function" of art is to "intensify one's perception of reality." Sometimes, he said, these functions coincide, as in a medieval stained glass window, but in modern times they have diverged.")
Your answer can be a word or a paragraph or a link--anything will help.
I look forward to reading your answers over the next couple of months (i am hoping hoping hoping i get a few!)
cheers
8 comments:
art is unique and design is for the crowd.
There is no distinct differences. Your design can be seen as a form of art while art is a form of creation/design whatever you call it.
I personally do not like it when someone insist on calling something an art or design, I prefer to call it a creation (from inspiration perhaps)
I think if something's designed, then its duty is to be part of your life, whereas art has its own life as it does not serve a purpose to us except for us to observe. Not sure if that makes sense but...
Design is useful Art.
Art is useful for the soul while Design is useful for daily life (fashion design, graphic design, product design, web design...).
I come from a background in both graphic design and art. Ive spent much time creating work in both worlds.
For me, design has become a series of compromises all based around money and obtaining money. Its a greedy, hungry beast that leaves me feeling empty and used up at the end of the day.
Art is something different. It allows me to connect with my being. I have travelled all over the world, and I am never more at home than when i am creating my own work. I am at my center when I create my own work, and thus, the work is honest.
form follows function. i studied industrial design although i'm more of an artist in heart and mind, and i came away thinking in it's essence a beautifully designed object serves it's purpose in the most straightforward, durable, sustainable, cost effective way. i'm talking eames, shigeru ban, chinese takeout containers, a pair of scissors, chop sticks, bike etc. a beautifully designed object also doesn't have to be austere..it can be thrown together out of necessity - rubber bands/rip ties/objects from your garage or local recycling center to temporarily fix something. in the end the design has to serve the purpose. you can like beautiful drinking glasses or a aesthetically pleasing chair but if it's uncomfortable, you won't want to use it. there are many objects that are poorly designed and they won't stick around. a salt and pepper shaker make to look like a sculpture could be both art and design because it serves a simple purpose. it is difficult to make something really well designed that improves your life. the japanese have a different philosophy about art and design than americans...i think the line between art and design i s blurred in japan. maybe someone else who is more knowledgeable can add to this. i consider the tea ceremony an act of art and the objects that used during it. i think it promotes mindfulness and that is what art is.
Funny how a beautifully designed chair can be in the MOMA. Designed to be utilitarian. But raised to a work of art. There's no reason why design can't be art and great art borne from design. When people with artistic sensibilities work for a living, why shouldn't art be the result. Swatch watches are art. An ipod is art. Who's to say it isn't? Inspiration can strike at any moment -- sometimes while you're on the clock.
an ipod is art? i think the ipod is an example of great design but art...im not too sure about that!
thanks for all the comments everyone.
boxgirl, i agree with a lot of what you say. and its true that the japanese have a completely different idea of design compared to westerners. here "design" or "dezain" for the most part refers to what is visual. i guess its similar to the connotation of design when we use it like "that's too design-y".
i feel that everyday objects which have been overdesigned and are no longer useful may classify as art but not design...
in any case when you start to think about it, you realize that the differences are not as clear as they might seem at first.
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