One of the most prominent problems designers face is being equated with and treated like Artists, but not in a good way. A widespread misunderstanding amongst the common public is that Designers create whimsically without consideration of the stakeholders and the long-term impact of their designs, whereas the opposite is true. Designers are skilled in solving problems through their work. It becomes frustrating for the designers while also making communication with their clients or non-designer colleagues increasingly challenging. Here are the reasons and how life can be better for designers, their clients and their co-workers.
Art vs Design
The primary difference between art and design is that Art is a medium of expression which intends to deliver a message, feel or think. Design plans to solve a problem by creating a solution – which may be physical or digital. While this is the most elementary difference between the two, this forms the basis on which Artists and designers work. Art may or may not have an obvious meaning, so there can be varying interpretations. Design is supposed to do a specific thing. An art piece can be good or bad depending on who is consuming it, but design can be objectively good or bad depending on its ability to function to its intended purpose.
Why exactly does the confusion exist?
The common misconception that ‘Designers are also artists, just with different titles’ prevails because of a lack of awareness. It is not surprising because of their similarities – attention paid to elements like scale, proportion, balance etc. These act as a means of defining visual aesthetics. But this is one of the very few overlaps that shadow differences between them.
Fuel to this misconception is the famous designers who are designer-artists, who create artistic renditions of functional pieces. Philippe Starck is one of them. His designs are considered artistic for being his imaginative explorations of existing products, not meant for functioning as everyday objects but for their perceived creative nature.
Designers’ work includes innovating new products and improvising on existing ones to enhance their function. The fascinating thing about good design is that it is almost always invisible to the untrained mind. Good design becomes invisible in its ability to perform the intended task flawlessly. This perception of a designer to be an artist has become such a widespread phenomenon that it has even caused designers to aspire to have an artistic flair in their work.
Designers provide solutions, but artists don’t need to do that.
One of the most crucial differences between artists and designers is that designers usually require problem-solving capabilities. The ability to execute a solution with their skillset while understanding the problem & brainstorming is also essential. For example, an Architectural designer must know how to create architectural drawings (Such as plans, elevations, and 3D models) since those are the manuals which are the basis for construction. A graphic designer must have the skills of drawing and communicating ideas visually to produce designs.
There aren’t any such limitations for an Artist. Their medium or skillset isn’t a limitation for them & they can create art in whichever way and whatever they please. They are limited only by their self-established boundaries since the art they create is for self-expression than for public consumption. Designers work on their creations with the knowledge that their work would be for use and consumption by others. Therefore, they also cannot make a judgment based on their perspective, but they need to use a scientific basis, user surveys, research and studies. They need to ensure that the design is appealing to the target demographic and not just to themselves.
What should you tell them?
If you’re working with a designer, it also differs how you would interact with them compared to your interaction with an artist. What you tell an Artist or a Designer depends upon what they create and how they work. An artist is likely to enjoy working with vague or even no demands. The freedom this offers allows them to conduct their exploration, forming their ideas and concepts. On the other hand, Designers work best when they’re equipped – with useful quantitative and qualitative information. Artists work with ideas & inspiration, while designers work with the information provided.
A good amount of information can enable a designer to analyse the priorities and exact functioning of the intended design. Specifications could be in varying forms like the material palette and the ergonomic information (for product designers) and Colour palette & Brand philosophy (for graphic designers). Artists express their perspectives on the ideas given to them or taken up by them, while Designers use the information provided to create usable projects.
Deadlines, Feedback and Revisions
Designers are competent in working with deadlines and limited time scales. Given the commercial application of their work, delays often come with a cost. And since there is a fixed procedure with a specific result to achieve, it helps in having an estimated time required for the project. That is not the case with artists because they do not necessarily have a set procedure to work. Each project or piece can have a different time scale depending upon the time and thought that goes into the work. Since an Artist’s work is personal to them, it is very improbable that their creation goes through external feedback and revision unless they collaborate with someone.
Designers’ work can go through multiple revisions depending on the quality of the information provided. It also sometimes depends on their ability to decode the input, as it could be complex. But it is improbable for all problems to be apparent at the beginning of the project itself. They slowly unravel themselves when probed and are solved eventually throughout the project.
Artists might make us think and dream of a more beautiful world, but Designers help make the world a better place.
So many tools that help us in our daily lives, like the ergonomic chair, shoes with orthopaedic comfort, eyeglasses, etc. are thoughtfully-designed items that help us live better. They might not be flashy or artistic, but they make lives easier for people. That makes it essential for us to value designers as designers and not reduce their identity to artists who settled for less.