Art Vs Design

-Kees Dorst- Is it Art?

• Artists in general have their own directions as to where they want to go with their art. A designer is presented with a problem and given guidelines to follow
• Sometimes, the way artists go about making their art, is based on design. They have to carefully structure what they wish to do and plan it out.
•  Designers cross over into art as self development.

Rick Poyners: Art's Little Brother

• The older ways of problem solving in art are highly underestimated because we have designers now to resolve that, but surprisingly the old tricks of the trade are what work best. 
• Media coverage of art makes everything seen as a luxury item to be put in homes, but design books have been seen as not achieving the review aspect of design.
• A lot of todays projects are about the influence of commerce on design.
• "the current ascendence of design gives renewed relevance to questions concerning the validity of art's conventionally privileged position"
• Designers are not artists, they are working to solve other peoples problems, and artist is to the truth of his own vision.
• Because designers have the high end technology at their fingertips and can control different mediums right on their desktops, they don't need to hire other special manufacturing to control the rest.
• Function vs vision. If a design isn't functional, then it could be seen as art-but not design anymore because designs main concept is function. Art will always be art because it is what is.
• Design can be way more pleasurable than art. We seek "retinal pleasure" and coloured lines, textures and shapes, dimensions, all that..design can certain supply you with, and much more.
• Art is starting to lose its beauty, with now everything being self expression.
• Matisses' expression for art to be as relaxing and serene as a good armchair can describe contemporary living.

-M&M Convesation

• These guys feel there is no negative boundary between art and design.
• They do a lot of collaborative pieces, in which they use their "specialist" as designers can help achieve a well balanced art piece with artists.
• They are about quality and equality. Working with artists to help them create their art and extend their creativity levels, not just take their art and "do something cool with it" like many artist expect from designers.
• Interested in dialouges between specialist. Specialists as designers, specialist as an artist.
• Some art is as bad as design, and some design is as good as art.
• By designing their exhibition, they are letting the world in on what their propositions are, and should not be seen as a design piece in itself.

MY point of view:

• I definitely agree with art and design being two seperate notions. Art is something that dates back way before design. Art was about rendering objects to their purest forms and representing them with the beautiful colors of the spectrum. I think art is about representing form, color and shape, space and exploring motifs. Everyone has their own notion about what art is exactly, but one thing i can agree on is Art is just a main subject and like Rick Poyner says is Arts little brother. Design is part of the Art world, but it has a totally different concept to it which is: problem solving, and communication. Advertising and media all rely on graphic design, they don't rely on Matisse paintings. Graphic design is a way of life to me, it is everything that surrounds our daily life. Everything has been carefully designed by industrial design or graphic designs, or manufacturing companies. Graphic design can take concepts from art, like renaissance paintings, cubism, pointillism etc etc.. but it's definitely not the same thing, nor is it less than painting or more.
• I thought the M&M conversation was really interesting and meshed well with some of the things I think. Collaborating with another artist will always result in a great project. How they describe themselves to be "specialists" is a way I never thought of, but definitely a good point. Being a specialist is getting down to the core of what you are pursuing..in this case design. Exploring absolutely everything about design, trying out new things, and knowing how to go about a problem in multiple ways. Also, by collaborating with another artist in lets say painting, they can exchange everything they know about painting and you the designer can influence with the knowledge you know about design. There are many more outcomes to an art piece when you take from another field than with just design. Not always..but certainly a possibility.

Response:Week 5

• Amateur Vs. Professionalism.
• Professionalism had to do with class, money and level of education
• Stereotypes;women seen as amateurs in the design profession
• Designers vs craftsmen-embroidery was done by women-seen as amateur work.
• Craftwork is being seen more and more; studies are being done an amateur's works
• DIY-part of this idea of craftwork as well; also being incorportated with design-Ellen Lupton is creating this to give amateur designers basic principles.
• Some professionals believe technology is making it way to easy for amateur designers. -Undermining their "profession"
• “amateurs develop ways of working and aesthetics that exist outside those approved by the experts, and in doing so they can act as models for a revised professional practice"
• Professionals are highly intellectual,distinct beings that can deal with complex design situations and can come up with any solution to any aspect of design:craft,design,print..etc.
• Vernacular design-Popular-traditional culture, mass produced merchantile objects.
• Amateur design allows for the individual design to grow in creativity over time by allowing them to DIY-design it yourself. Well rounded works at the end
• The relationship between amateur designers and professional designers are still conflicting. But the amateur designer is seen as a self builder but also as the user.
• Professional Designers are still focused only one how directly its applied to functionality.
• Bad
• Being Good is average-We must learn to be BAD.
• Graphic Design has an effect on its audience.
• Diversity of product allows for individuality.
• There is a balance in the way business is run at design firms.
• Marketing is overwhelming the truth and importance of design/art
• Vernacular design-is the method of design without the marketing, without strategy, without the method of trained practioners.-and thats what's good about it.
• Vernacular design is design without knowing its design
• My Points
• Amateur designers should not be doubted, because before the professional designers were where they are now, they were amateurs too.
• Amateurs serve an influence and as away of study of design to the students in art school.
• Craft IS becoming less and less due to the ease of technology and the need for mass production and the rapidness its put out on the market.
• Craft is also being lost due to the advance in technology, like architecture was once all about putting together a 3D model, now all that can be done extremely easy on programs on the computer.
• Because of the advance of technology-amateur designers are taking advantage to create amazing new projects; but professionals shouldn't undermine their work. Technology of design is being put out for a purpose! To come up with new and innovative things all the time by different designers.
• Vernacular Design- This is definitely the design referring to the signs I see all the time when i go to Mexico. It will be restaurants, salons, deli, corner stores, taco stands, and the their signs are painted either by hand, or by a consistent font all around the town. This is tying them all together, unity in design.
• Advertisment and Marketing is important. You have to design according to what will sell to the public. The design industry is revolving around money, so in order to get to that money you have to make something that the public will like. Aesthetics are crucial, and you cant just design something you believe works, you have to place yourself as the buyer, looking at your design from the outside and see what it feels like.