I’m an artist and a designer. A question I hear a lot is, “What’s the difference?” There are probably as many answers to that question as people who do art and design. My answer is this: Design is for other people; Art is for myself.
That probably needs some expansion. In the practice of design, we have a saying that has become a truism: “You are not the user.” As the designer, your opinion about whether something works doesn’t matter – if it doesn’t satisfy the user’s needs, it isn’t right.
With art, on the other hand, it should all be about you. What is deep inside of you? How do you see the world? What are you trying to express? What are you compelled to make? If a work doesn’t satisfy the artist, it isn’t done.
There is overlap, of course. Many artists create works because they sell well, even though they may not love them. Is that art or design? And it’s of course possible to design something for yourself – your perfect wedding dress, or desk, or garden. Is that design or art?
For me, there is a visceral difference between the experiences of creating for others vs. creating for myself. The former feels like design. The latter feels like art.
What do you think?