Comments on: Is Graphic Design Art? (guest post by Brandon Hunter)

By: Keaton Taylor

Keaton Taylor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:24:14 +0000

Colin Wright said it best – “Art is like masturbation. It is selfish and introverted and done for you and you alone. Design is like sex. There is someone else involved, their needs are just as important as your own, and if everything goes right, both parties are happy in the end”

Art and design share some of the same DNA but are inherently different. I’d also like to reference something Marvin Malecha posits in his design thinking courses at NCSU: Art takes the conversation to the people and most times the conversation between the artist and the people ends – a great example is Serrano’s Piss Christ – he’s said little about the piece since its conception. Serrano’s silence has made waves and mostly made people mad, that anger ends the intelligent conversation. What happens -more or less- is that the artist is circumventing all accountability. A designer, however, justifies his work with reason and structure. Explaining (hopefully) with wit and brevity the purpose of the work and the specific aesthetic qualities falls on the designer instead of the audience. Those among others are the details that separate art and design for me.

By: Edward M. Corpus

Edward M. Corpus — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:31:15 +0000

Kudos to everyone for keeping this discussion alive. It’s actually an old topic, updated for the last two decades and the advent of digital audio-visual media. The discussion used to be “illustration” vs. “art” or “commercial art” vs “fine art”, with the implication that the former was less art because of their monetized consumerist ties and more transitory nature tied to immediate product consumption. I personally think the distinction between the two “sides” has become more obscure and ambiguous nowadays. The music video has been instrumental (yes, a pun) in putting motion graphics on the map as possible art forms in themselves, irrespective of the “commercial” aspect of selling recordings. I would recommend going to motionographer.com for examples of motion graphics destined for use in commercial applications, yet some of which are stunningly beautiful and moving art. And if commercial ends in of themselves were to disqualify compositions as art, what then is to be said of popular “fine” art e.g., Thomas Kinkade? Yes, there are the very forgettable (and deliberately so) graphic art posters that hang in office cubicles and medical waiting rooms. When we work for someone else and are assigned to advertise their products, we often don’t have the freedom to express our own creativity. There is also a lot of not-so-fine art, forgettable and mediocre. I do not claim to have the be-all and end-all definition, but in my opinion the elements of (visual) art are: 1) the visual expression of the artist creatively posing a problem and solving it in an elegant way 2) visual ironic metaphor (something akin to musical and poetic art) and 3) unique use of materials, be they traditional draughtsman’s media or digital or mixed media.

By: bobn

bobn — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 03:03:53 +0000

This is an interesting discussion.
Skill levels of individuals vary – and also the quantity and quality of skills. At what point in the process do we call a practitioner able, skilled, talented or an artist? And are there only certain traits and skills that are demanded to be possessed before someone is an artist. How about originality? or style? Or variety, or outstanding quality? How how about making a living? Or having honor, friends, respect and success? And when in the process do we become artists? Or at what point does it matter?
And just who is the arbiter?
Artists are of all stripes and colors and sizes and genders and especially – skills. It would be nice if we could have all these things and the joy of the work also. I often think of the countless people who created this world of beauty we live in – and wonder if they all had the same feelings of wonder, If they had the same misgivings – were famous, respected, wealthy or happy just doing what they love to do. And be paid to do it?

Thank God I don’t think I am an artist. I know I am an artist! I used to resent it when people took my work for their own. Now I wonder if it makes them happy!

By: Abby

Abby — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:01:22 +0000

What a great post! I just love your point of view.

By: Evan Smith

Evan Smith — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:43:46 +0000

I do believe graphic design is an art. I believe this because many of the principles of graphic design, form, communication, compostion, perspective, layout, medium are principles taken from traditional and fine art. That is my view any way. This is something I am trying to bring into my career as a recent graduate.

Thoroughout my degree my work was geared to the craft and print art aspect of graphic design rather than commercialism and with adding a little bit of personal fealing and inspiration to a project it in my view adds so much to a piece of design by giving it some meaning. However I do think the industry needs to take a step back have a look at its self, I feel that it has developed an eleitist habit of making design have to be in poticular type of way or you have to have been the winner of some awards to get any where and have to be commercial and such to be amazing. This is not me or my way of working and is probably where I am failing, is because my view of design and my way of working dose not fit with industrys view and it’s a little dissheartening.

With that said I do have hope both in my work and the industry.

great post realy helpful.

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:46:26 +0000

But the Utah guy does sidle up to a point: the role or presence of novelty in a given definition of art.

I’m back to making chains and I’m contemplating such questions as the proper number of links before some erosion of integrity or original intent sets in. At this juncture I’m paying less attention to a the link-to-link narrative and more to the overall effect. Every addition of a link creates a new overall potentiality while still being one more brick in the wall. It appears that I’m better off keeping to a firm state of chaininess even though it is the easy way to go.

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:15:51 +0000

Tree:

Yes he is.