“The differences between art and design lie not so much in how they look as in what they do” Michael Brady How far do you agree with this statement? NAME: KWOK MING TSUN (CYRUS) STUDENT ID: KWO09280548 CLASS: 16 TUTOR: MARK UNWIN SUBMIT DATE: 4/11/2009 Since people started to debate the differences between art and design, there have been two different conclusions. For example, if you have an armchair but is only for decoration, would you say it is a piece of furniture or a piece of art? Are they synonyms in their appearance or practical purpose?
How would one separate these two closely related objects? Many of those who debate this topic argue that art and design differ in appearance; however, I feel art and design differ in purpose rather than appearance: although they may be similar in appearance, the difference in art and design lie in functionality and objectivity. As Michael Brady points out, design is utilitarian while art is not: “graphic design and art are different from each other because graphic design can be characterized as ‘problem solving’, while art is ‘creative’” (Banard.
M, 2005: pp. 169). Banard’s quote is not limited to only graphic design; the same applies to other types of designs, e. g. computers have many different configurations, such as designs, various hardware for different people, from the mobile professional to the stay-at-home housewife. This shows that designs are actual pragmatic and solution-oriented. Conversely, art is concerned primarily with expression rather than function: “it subordinates ordinary usefulness to its own purposes” (Brady. M, 1998).
For example, paintings can be exhibited everywhere like museum and exhibition even street, which they can only be viewed and admired with nonfunctional and unreasonable. Although created without function, they still expressive, attractive and contentious. For instance, the painting ‘Campbell’s soup I (1968)’ produced by Andy Warhol, is useless and does not solve any problems, however it still fascinates people. This supports Brady’s claim that the “essential function” of art is to “intensify one’s perception of reality” (Brady. M, 1998).
Furthermore, if a design offers no functionality, it would be conveyed as a piece of art. Such as a patterned vase or a classic harp are only decorated. “If a piece of furniture has no function, it could equally be argued that it is not a piece of furniture in the first place” (Banard. M, 2005: pp. 173). There is another side to the argument, however. Design can sometimes be considered a piece of art. “It has now reached the stage where ‘artists’ such as Donald Judd are mentioned in the same breath as the ‘designer’ James Dyson and where a piece of furniture can be said to become a piece of art” (Banard.
M, 2005: pp. 173). Before it became a piece of art, Tracey Emin’s 1999 art installation “My Bed” was merely a piece of furniture for her to sleep. This means something can be a piece of art or a design even though they have the same extend appearance. Furthermore, paintings can usually be found in interior design, besides those painted on the wall, they are same appearance with paintings, which are displayed in a museum. As well as sculpture, the interior designers in the seventeenth century used to put sculpture into their design.
For example, the Charlottenburg Palace in Munich, there were full of sculptures decorated on the wall. Given these argument, would one say it is a part of interior design in a museum, or is it a piece of art that separates from the interior design? That is why it is difficult to define when the focus is only on their appearance. The distinct difference between art and design depends on what they do rather than how they look. Art is always without any particular function to help people solving problem but engaging people to comprehend.
Moreover, design improves our living standard, helping solve problems, and it is also pragmatic. Whereas, their similar appearance are sometimes confuse. Although they are resemblance, still can be divided by focus on what they do. (630 Words) Bibliography Brady, M. (1998). Art and Design: What’s the Big Difference?. Critique Magazine. http://www. unc. edu/~jbrady/Essaya/art_Design. html Bernard, M. (2005). Graphic Design As Communication. London: Routledge.
