” How is art different from design 🤔? “

I have always been curious about this question. This has also been a matter of never-ending debate within the design community.

After doing my research, some differences are pretty obvious.

Let us explore this together…

👉Art is more subjective. Design is more objective.

Both art and design ‘speak’ to us. Agreed?

When it comes to art, ‘what it speaks’ depends on context, history and culture. The same piece of art speaks differently to each one of us.

The objective of design is to deliver a specific message. If everyone is receiving different messages, I am afraid, it is a bad design.

Art is open for interpretation. Design is not.

👉Art is instinct-driven. It is more spontaneous. It is more of ‘working from the heart .’

👉Design is strategy driven. It is a series of calculated steps that require skills, research and strategy. It is more of ‘working from the mind.’

👉Artists solve their own problems.
Designers solve someone else’s problem.

👉Art is an expression. Design is a solution.
Art doesn’t care, design has a job to do.

👉Art is an invitation to share a person’s point of view.
Design is a person sharing a point of view.

As you can see, one can find similarities even in their differences.

Instead of separating the two completely, I look at design in terms of art:

“Design is science applied to art. Design is art with purpose.”