What is art and what is design? Most people usually find it hard to distinguish between art and design. This may due to the fact that the two usually have meanings that are so close. A simple explanation would describe art as an expression of the human thought through a number of channels.

Design on its part can be defined simply as the logical arrangement of suitable things. Graspinging the differences between art and design when the two are independent of each other might be easy but it gets difficult when the two are intertwined.

There are those who will argue that art cannot exist without design while, there are those who don’t agree to this notion. Still there are those who buy to the idea that art and design are independent of each other but sometimes exist symbiotically.

We take a closer look at the two between art and design to find out the difference between the two.

The difference between Art and Design

Art in its simplest form can be defined as a means of digital expressionism. Art is intended to bring out a new idea or thought and expose it to the observer or the audience. Art seeks to establish a certain form of connection between the artist and those who are observing artist’s art. A deeper investigation into art will let you find out that art seeks interpretation and understanding unlike design.

In an art audience you will find different people drawing varied interpretations from one single piece of artwork. A single piece of artwork may make the people to view and interpret it differently and even the emotions from the audience may be varied.

Artwork usually invites people to experience a feeling or an idea that the artist is trying to relay to his/her audience.

Artists are said to have an innate talent for art but can sometime be skilled although having just the skills without talent in art is just worthless. This is quite different with design because in design it involves designers learning new skills. A designer for instance must not have natural talent but through many years of practice and study may still create the best designs.

The confusion that usually arises is that designers regard themselves to be artists while artists never call themselves designers.

Even the purpose for which art and design are intended differ

The purposes of art and design are different, even what they are intended for differ. Art is intended to bring out a new idea and present it to the person or people observing it. Art is said to seek to build a certain connection between an artist and the people or audience viewing his/her art pieces.

Designs are quite different from art in the sense that it seeks to make an audience realize about something that is already existing or present. Basically, designs are only considered to be effective if they achieve the purpose for which they are intended. Designs that don’t achieve the purposes for which they are created are usually considered null.