Art VS Design
As a blogger, on does all they can to ensure that their posts are as factual as possible. That being the case, one has to do a lot of research before and after posting a blog. After posting my blog on the differences between art and design, I learned that I did not fully clarify these differences, something I intended to adjust in this blog. In the previous blog, I tried to further explain the difference between art and design by giving various examples as stated below. It is true that designers and artists use a knowledge base that is shared when they are creating their visual compositions. This being the case, they have very different reasons behind why they decided to engage in their work. In the case of art, an artist starts working on a blank canvas and fills it with their own feelings and opinions as a way of sharing with their audience who later get inspired, relate or learn from the art. Art is therefore judged on appearance and the type of emotional bond it created between the audience and the artist. Designers on the other hand already have a set starting point before creating their work. Their goal is not to create something new but rather to create awareness of something that is already in existence with emphasis on its purpose. Often times, the goal is to get the audience to do something as the success of a design is based on its ability to provoke the desired action from the audience.
After further research, I discovered that although the approach artists and designers take may be different, close examination helped me to make the realization that their processes are not that different. Although the designer’s process is a function, it has an artistic element in it. Similar to how an artist feels passionate about their work, so do designers and the beauty of their work can be seen in their work. Designers, in a way, create art through their designs and it is only the end results that take away from its identity as art. If an audience was to pay attention to the design itself and the process that was involved in making it, they could see the beauty and admiration behind it . In relation to the Rhetoric of logos, one could make the assumption that the two are actually the same as this is what appears to be logical (Zhu, 2005). However, design and art are still different because it is not the process but rather the end product that determines whether a piece of work is a design or it is art.
I also made the statement that art has the tendency to convey a certain emotion or opinion that is to be interpreted by the audience. From their interpretation, the audience end up having different interpretations of the art and therefore attach different meaning to it. To support my claim, I gave the example of the different interpretations of the Mona Lisa painting. The Mona Lisa by Da Vinci, for example, has had different interpretations over the years. On one hand, scientists believe that the peripheral vision of the audience creates the illusion that Mona Lisa is smiling. Romantics, on the other hand, believe that she is smiling because she is in love while skeptics claim that there is no reason behind her smile. Contrary to art, any design that can be interpreted is considered a failure.
After reviewing my work, I realized that I had made an error by stating that art conveys certain emotions or opinions. Making such a claim would mean that just like designs, art tries to communicate a specific or certain message. However, this is not the case. Although the artist has an opinion or emotion when making art, the art is not intended to convey this specific emotion or opinion. Art is simply made so as to allow the audience to make their own opinions depending on how the receive it. While some may be able to identify the emotion or opinion that the artist was trying to portray through their work, this is not the intended purpose of the art itself (Hickman, 2005).
Designs are intended to communicate specific messages provoking the audience to do something. If for example, a design was intended to get the audience to go and buy something, it would be seen as a failure if the audience did the opposite because a good design is supposed to convey only one message and that is the one that was intended by the designer. While art allows the audience to have their own interpretations depending on how they relate to it, a designer’s message must be received the way it was intended so as to have the desired effect on the audience (Campbell, 2011).
Word Cited
Campbell D, “The differences between design and art”
Hickman, R. (2005). Critical studies in art & design education. Bristol [u.a.: Intellect Books.
Mall D, (2010) “Art direction and design”
Yankellow D, (2010) “Graphic art or graphic design: Are they the same? Are they different?”
Zhu, Y. (2005). Written communication across cultures: A sociocognitive perspective on business discourse. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins Pub.
Reflective memo
Due to the vast amount of data, it became clear to me that the topic I had taken up could not be exhausted easily. I was constantly learning new things the more I researched on the topic, a discovery that encouraged me to go back to my previous blogs to make amendments whenever necessary. An example is in the second blog I wrote about the difference between art and design. it became clear to me that the points I had made, though factual, could be challenged and I sought to add more clarity to them. I added material from three sources whose authors were Yunxian Zhu, Richard Hickman and Donny Yankellow. Although my points were strong enough on their own, I believe that adding information from recognized and professional sources would add more authenticity to my blogs. I also use the rhetorical strategy of logos to demonstrate the logic that some people may use to make the claim that art and design are one and the same. Although it is my strong belief that art and design are two completely different fields, I tried to explain how logos may prevent some people from identifying their differences.
The reason behind making these revisions was to ensure that people took my blogs with the seriousness they deserve. Rather than contributing more information on the debate revolving around art and design, I wanted my blogs to play an important role in settling the issue once and for all. By adding sources from different authors, I wanted to add relevance and authenticity to my work and also show the stand that these, among other authors took on the matter. I believe that the revisions made the blogs more successful as they made the information more credible. Readers will have a deeper appreciation for the blogs due to these revisions thus ensuring that the blogs meet their intended purpose.