[Sigia-l] Why 'design' makes some of us cringe.

[George Olsen]

At the risk of furthering a rather navel-gazing discussion...

Back when I was in graphic design school there was a useful dictum:

Art is about (self) expression, graphic design is about communication (to
others).

Obviously it's an oversimplification, but it's useful way of slicing the
difference in emphasis -- at least based on current notions of who
"artists" are that rely heavily of Romanticism/Impressionist models about
the lonely artist in the garret expressing their inner vision.

Other cultures, notably Japan, draw less fixed boundaries between "fine"
and "applied" arts. And a number of acclaimed graphic designers and some
acclaimed artists worked both ends of the street.

Likewise, as has been pointed out, artists in previous eras were often
more akin to today's graphic designers and ad agencies. One might say that
the Sistine Chapel is one of the most success ad campaigns ever done by
the Catholic Church.

BTW, I like expending the art is about expression, design is about
communication model, to say interaction is about conversation. (Print)
graphic design has traditionally been a monologue addressed to an
audience, whereas our medium enables to listen and response to the
user/audience's actions.

Disclaimer -- when I refer to "design" I'm talking about design as a
profession (i.e. graphic design) rather than design as an activity, which
spans many other professions.

_____________________________________________________________________
George Olsen                           george at interactionbydesign.com
User Experience Architect                                310-993-0467