Asked+Answered
11.11.08
Is Graphic Design Art?
Another Tuesday, another chance to change the world with your vote. Is graphic design art? Vote here, and leave your thoughts in the exit poll (ok, comments)...
I like to think there are no stupid questions but this one comes close. Surely Art is Art and Graphic Design is Graphic Design. There certainly is 'an art' to it but they are separate disciplines. If you want to see what happen when people get the two confused have a look at this horror show... http://www.flickr.com/groups/graphicdesign/
ART
noun
1 the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
To some people Graphic Design may just be combining photos with text. But don't tell me that certain layouts and designs don't invoke emotional power... John Korpics' work with InStyle, Esquire, EW is art... Dirk Barnett's Blender re-design is art... Greg & Pat Samata work with companies across the globe is art...
This type of work IS appreciated for its beauty and emotional power.
God do i hate the word art.
One of many words in our language i would love to see burned, run over or chewed up by something ferocious.
I think it has confused the hell out of people for far too long.
Too many people think paint, canvas and museum when they hear "art".
Too many people think the term art implies quality.
Art is simply another word for communication or the expression of creative thought.
List anything that you naturally think of as "art": writing, music, film, painting, sculpture, dance, fashion and you will see they are all mediums being used to try to communicate something.
As far as the expression of creative thought, hell, there are accountants, lawyers, biologists, scientists, carpenters, etc who are using far more innovative and creative thinking than a lot of painters or sculptors.
One of my favorite quotes from Andy Warhol:
"Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art"
That sounds so ........... Gorden Gekko.
Brandon, I could not have said that better myself.
It's not so black and white. Up until the mid-80s, design was a response to a problem. The relationship between pop culture (art) and commercialism (design) has changed; Outside of the fringe partyers like Warhol, it used to be taboo to associate the two, and now it's status quo (see Hirst or Murakami). This is all in the name of authenticity, and the spectrum exists between "the client is always right," and "the big shot designer does what they want." In a traditional sense, designers who negotiate craft and history to create form and get everyone on the proverbial train are exercising the opposite of autonomy, a kind of anti-Art.
So for all this, I'd say that art and design are apples 'n' oranges, you can't compare the two. But the idea of "Art" being eschewed to the innovation of accountants and carpenters is a bit naive, no?
hi
if art and graphic design are two seperate disciplines
then
why do graphic design students hav to study "art" more than they study "design"
rather study art before design?
There is a basic difference between modern Graphic Designing and Fine Arts. This difference is the main root cause why Graphic Design till date has not been able to capture the respect and a higher aesthetic appreciation as a True or Pure Art form, and not being taken seriously.
The difference lies mainly in the mind or psychology of the creator. In case of Fine Art the creator primarily creates to satisfy his or hers own need of expression without any consideration to its acceptance to the public. Fine Art serves the purpose of a language which the artist uses to present his thoughts more clearly for he is incompetent to express as effectively in any other communicating medium such as verbal communication, writing something down, or even through his facial or bodily gestures. Thus though it may seem that Fine Art is a selfish self satisfying act, it is in its truest nature a new medium which an artist uses as an alternative medium of communication.
But also it is true that using Fine Art as a communication medium is limited in characteristics. It is more of a one way expression rather than a two way communication.
Classical Communication Paradigm
Source - Message - Receiver
Receiver - Message (feedback) - Source
(This paradigm is the simplest communication pattern. though it has evolved immensely taking under consideration different levels of variables and influences. It suggests the core structure that is a Source formulating a Message and sending it to the Receiver. In response or feedback the Receiver formulates a message and returns it to the Source.)
In case of Fine Art primarily it is seen that it is only a one way communication thus it is not a communication process at all but an expression only. It becomes a communication if the Receiver is being able to put across a feedback effectively through a particular medium and is able to reach the source and being able to bring about a certain change. On the other hand the Source is being able to generate a sure change in the Receiver’s perception about the Message. But sending this feedback is a problem, because for the receiver this feedback is basically a state of mind which the Receiver may or may not express. Thus though Fine Art has its communication potential it has its barriers.
But here many variables are not taken under consideration such as relations, external influences, psychological mind frame, characteristics, and most importantly historical development without which this topic cannot be discussed or debated.
In case of Graphic Design the creator of the Message is not the main creator of the finished Message. Here the creator is primarily a source who has a particular need to put across a message to a certain targeted group of people with a specific intention to generate a favorable feedback. Aesthetics is secondary effectiveness is the primary need for the success of this type of message. Thus it is a biased message. The source gives this Message or the idea of the Message to a person to formulate it into an effective conceptualized idea easily understood by the targeted group with assured result in case of favorable feedbacks. This message unlike Fine Art creates only one interpretation.
This makes it clear that the psychological mind frame behind Graphic Design is not that of self expression and self satisfaction. It is highly dependent on feedback thus in its very nature it is a true or pure communication process rather than an expression only.
So to decide what is Fine Art and what is Graphic Design is and why Graphic Design is not called a true or pure ‘Art’ depends upon the psychology of the creator. Thus one must always remember its initial reason behind the very existence. The initial reason behind the formulation of the Message makes it a piece of ‘Art’ or a daily visual format serving a specific duty where aesthetic responsibilities are not the most important factor neither is the creator but only the result generated by the message.