What do you really see when you see some art works in front of you? That’s actually a relative question with different answers. People see and think in a different perspective when it comes to art works so some of them may think it’s good, but not for others – and that’s what makes it art. The same goes for design works. When it comes to design thinking, many have different opinions regarding “good” or “bad.” Therefore, something about art and design is relative, but both of them are similar in some way, whether it is in the form of paintings, interior design, or even web design. That being said, with a very distinct similarity, there comes a new question; what is the difference between art and design? This article will tell you how to see the difference between art and design. Keep reading to find out!
The purpose
One of the ways to understand the difference between art and design is by understanding the purpose behind the work of art and design. When you create an art, you start with nothing, but you have a purpose of sharing your feelings in a form of an inspiration, in hope that others can relate to it, learn from it, and be inspired by it; therefore, art can make the strongest bond between the artist and the audience. Design, on the other hand, doesn’t always start something new; rather, designers re-create or work on something that already exists for a purpose. The message, action, image conveyed in a design work is delivered as a means to persuade audience to take action or buy something. Also, design is more about making a strong interaction with audience. In short, art inspires while design motivates.
The message interpretation
Another way to see the difference between art and design is by understanding the interpretation of each work of art and design. When people see an art work, how they interpret the meaning may be different. For example, when you see Da Vinci’s work Mona Lisa, you see her smiling, right? But why do you think she smiles? Some say, she smiles because she is in love, some say she smiles for no reason. Art is a way to imagine something from seeing an art work. If you can interpret an art work in so many ways that can only mean that the art is successful in delivering the message. However, the key of understanding a design is through how it delivers a message and how that message can motivate others to do something. In short, art is interpreted and design is understood.
Taste and opinion
Here’s the good part of knowing the difference between art and design; you know your taste and you know your opinion. Art is not always about paintings. The making of a movie is also art, considering that it takes ideas to deliver imaginations turned into a movie. However, if we take an example from the movie Resident Evil: Retribution, a Hollywood version of the original Japanese horror franchise game, some people who has more taste in video gaming might call the movie as an insult to the game, since the movie changed Leon’s characteristics so much to the point that Leon was no longer a respectable man like he originally is in the video game; however, for those people who love movies more than video games, would think that the movie is the best version of Resident Evil story and maybe don’t really give much thought about Leon. When we talk about design, good or bad, it is only a matter of people’s opinions. In short, art is a taste while design is an opinion.
The ability
When it comes to ability, artists have natural ability. When they perform an art, they do so with their natural-born talent, and this talent may grow with time and practice. However, designers may have different kinds of talents or skills but some may not have talents in the first place. They become great designers with time and practice as well, but having talent from the start or not, it doesn’t matter. In short, art comes from talent while design comes from skill.
That’s how you differentiate art from design. The point is that art is imaginative; sometimes you can never know the true intention of the message conveyed by the artist through their works, but we can interpret their works in different ways. Design, on the other hand, is something to understand. When a design work is understood, the purpose of making that work will be achieved and that’s how we design our work here in the office. If you need to know more about us, feel free to contact us and our team will be ready to help you.