How much of design is layout (organizing elements on the page) versus creating artwork? Some designers are very skilled at creating illustrations, others can composite the most beautiful and detailed images.
But as designers, do we need to be able to create all those wonderful illustrations and artistic styles?
A while ago, there was a great discussion at Graphic Design Blog about whether or not designers had to also be good artists. I have some similar questions along those lines.
I’ve been thinking recently about how much original art the designer needs to create. I see lots of beautiful styles that some people call design, but I call art (if you’ll notice the actual link, this was originally From Masters of Graphic Design). When looking at the graphic styles I would like to try some time, I wonder if I need to be able to create all of that myself.
I was looking through the Best Web Gallery under blogs for some inspiration for my own redesign and I found The Spoon Graphics blog. There is an article about Creating a Torn Paper Effect and within that post, a link to a Snap2Object article on How to Destroy the Web 2.0 Look.
What got me really thinking is, as I looked at the samples Mao, the author, gave in the destroy Web 2.0 post, I wondered how much of it is art vs. design. This is always a question that is roaming about in my mind and usually comes to haunt me when I look at something and think, “I could never come up with those graphics.” I guess it’s my jealousy rearing its head.
But what do you think? How much of our work is art and how much of it is design? How far can these two be separated?
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Hi Lauren, thanks for the mention. I think its not just a case of art and design, but is any thing really original? The sites you looked at or inspiration had probably taken inspiration from other places and so it goes on. I don’t mean hey have copied but something about a design has spurred an idea. I think everyone is jealous about how good some designers are, but there are others who may be jealous of our designs too ;)
Tara,
Hehe, good point. I wonder if anyone is jealous of my designs!
I found this article just now, Graphic Design is Not Art. It’s rather old in Web years, but it just shows how far back the debate goes (well, this is from 2004, I’m sure it dates back more than that!). It’s more of an essay on Design vs. Art, and it can be a little conceptual, symantic and confusing at times, but his basic point is “too many design courses associate themselves with Art rather than Communications.” I agree. I think many of my courses in school focused on technical skills and art. It would’ve been interesting to get a minor in Communications and really Pscyhology and Journalism, too! Our field is quite complex, isn’t it?
I’m sure they are! I bet you receive emails asking for advice from prospective designers (I know I do).
I’ll check out that article
Lauren, sometimes I have a feeling you can read my mind by writing about something that I’ve been thinking a lot about.
I don’t think it is necessary to be an artist to become a good designer, but being an artist definitely helps. When I was teaching Web design I had different kinds of students in my classes. Some of them were confessing they couldn’t draw in a traditional way, but were really good at computer graphics, others were really talented artists before getting into computers, and when looking at the designs they were producing you could tell that right away. The artist behind the designer can be spotted right away.
And I agree with Tara on being original. Did you read the last comment #194 on that SM article that you linked to? Here’s the quote from there:
“The shame about this is that few people will realize that a lot of the influence for these artists was a guy on Deviantart called ‘Silveryn’,who basically pioneered the nature/silhouette/floral style around 2002 that shows clear signs of being in some designs here. His ‘Change of Seasons’ piece that had thousands of favs on DA is probably one of the single most imitated/ripped/cloned pieces in digital art history. It’s a pity that those rippers basically made him give it all away.”
And if you look at those designs featured on SM, most of them indeed had the same style, same effects.
Design is a segment of art just like painting and drawing are also segments. Design holds its own talent and difference, an effect that works for something better at times, and at times can’t fill the part. To me design incorporates the WHOLE picture, where as art can be just a piece. As an artist who loves to play designer as well, I use a lot of my own art in my designs. Design for me is a different though process, its the playing of word, and art together to express a particular idea or grab attention for a reason. Where as for me art is just a flow from my heart, its not measure or thought it just is.
Reminds me of Veerle’s post What is Graphic Design.
I don’t think design and art are the same but they can definitely overlap and enhance each other. Art makes a point for the artist or a statement about something, design fulfills a purpose or conveys a message (in a more communicative way that the point made by art).
You’re right that a lot of the examples in the destroying Web 2.0 post were arty. Although Elliot Jay Stocks could probably done with a little brush magic!
Veerle’s site is an example of a mixture of art and well placed elements.
Some designers use mainly well placed elements (Chris Pearson, Brian Gardner).
Vivien (inspirationbit),
Thanks for pointing out the last comment on that post from SM. I took a look, but Silveryn isn’t there anymore and he deleted his dA portfolio! There were a few other people that had “tributes” to him though, so I was able to find the Change of Seasons illustrations. I think they are a little liberal when suggesting those ones that combine photos and illustrations are ripping of his work. Inspired by? Definitely. Stealing? I’d have to say no. But when are we not inspired and influenced by things we see? Most of stuff out there is recycled ideas anyway.
alex,
Hey! Long time no see! Glad you’ve stopped by again. I visited your blog and you have gone through a lot of changes this year! Maybe that explains your absence over here?
I think you’re right about design being a part of art; they are all creative-oriented, but design does have the need to communicate.
kristarella,
Yes, I saw your comment over there! I would’ve loved to run something like that here, but Verlee beat me to it! Communication is definitely the key to design. I’ve always thought that art was more for its own sake and it doesn’t matter if anyone else “gets” it. Perhaps that’s a little too liberal of a definition, though.
I think the thing I want to know is, when people ask me to create things in a certain style, do I need to be able to do that? I know I am not an artist, so why do people expect that I can illustrate the exact style they’re looking for? (why do I expect that from myself??)
Hmm, I’m not sure. I don’t think you need to be able to do it from scratch. Perhaps being a designer means you have the skills to use and manipulate stock and combine that with other things to produce what they want?
Not sure. I suppose if it’s really something you don’t do you could send them to another designer - perhaps even have a sort of reciprocal arrangement with another designer that they could send you people too.
Perhaps it’s up to the people shopping for a designer to look at their portfolio and judge if that’s the sort of thing they want.