Design over Art OR Art over Design

We all have heard these terms before, we all throw the terms interchangeably but when one sinks their teeth into the subject matter as they dwell into the field as an artist or designer or any creative curious head out there one cannot resist the urge to question the difference.

To answer the question we can have multiple parameters starting with aesthetics.

According to google

There are multiple factors that make good aesthetics, namely

1. Narrative

2. Intricacy

3. Communication

4. Functional

5. Classic/luxury

6. Heritage

But the issue with classifying art and design over this factor is that both art and design follow aesthetics as a part in some way or the other.

Some people make the argument that design is functional but my question there in this situation changes to what is functional? Is the device you are using a design and music isn’t? Music and sounds have been used for meditation and therapy for years so how can we say it’s not functional while it’s as clear as the running stream of water it serves a purpose and that makes it functional

Another example we can take is the inkblot test (Rorschach test) used in psychology. I think it’s a beautiful piece of art that later was used to help people through means of psychology. But it’s a piece of paper with ink on it so is it functional? It again serves a purpose so it’s functional from my viewpoint.

Avant-Garde a fashion term that is again dragged into the debate of what’s art and design which Susan Sontag describes as “Experiments of form at the expense of content”

As any art can be classified into form and content,

Where

Form means – Tangible/intangible attributes

Content – Story it portrays

Avant-Garde fashion has seen form and content along with it being functional. So which box do we store this masterpiece, in art or design?

Is it by mistake or design? A line from the song “Born to Die- Lana Del Rey” pops into my mind whenever I think about Autumn Rhythm. The no. 30 art piece, Autumn Rhythm is considered to be showcasing cosmic flow, nature at its peak, war, and many more things but it comes as a surprise when we know the procedure of how it was made. The paint was thrown around randomly to create the piece. The creator Jackson Pollock left many scratching their heads in disbelief when they realized the technique used.

Through these multiple narratives now we can see a constant repetition of one element that is open for interpretation. The author Roland Barthes clears the air with the help of his work titled “The Death of the Author”. The author talks about how his work is not his once it’s published. His work takes the mold of one’s imagination.

This is considered art where the communication is open-ended and boundless to any level or field. The design focuses on sending the same message across and like every sample space is ever taken exceptions exist and leave us an open door to explore a new world beyond our creative cage.