Design and Art
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The twentieth century's distinction between 'design' and 'art' derives from the sudden and overwhelming growth of technological innovation, and the commercial demand for applied design, during the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century. The primary distinction was between the so-called "high arts" of painting, sculpture and architecture, and "decorative or applied" design (Collins 17). This differentiation between art and design is sometimes perceived as an unfair elevation of art at the expense of design. Yet, so long as the distinction is based on such qualities as reproducibility, methods of production, or function, it is both valid and valuable. If, however, the differences between art and design are cited as criteria of aesthetic, or even moral, value, the distinction does not hold up, and is of little value to understanding either type of art. In such cases, it is not only pointless to 'elevate' the high-arts, it is also pointless to try to elevate aspects of design to that supposedly higher level. According to Brett, William Dyce, one of the originators of "conventional art," enjoyed repeating to the staff of the British Schools of Design that, "no person making Art his profession should be eligible as a student" (quoted in Brett 10). The distinction between expressive art and drawing that would meet industry's demand for "new graphic conventions to communicate its need for precision," seemed perfectly clear to Dyce (Brett 3). But, Brett's point is t
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s as They Are at Present Published, he was making a plea for attention to the design of books which were, ordinarily, shoddily produced in every aspect (Shaw 37-8). But, Dwiggins never advocated anything more for his design than that it fulfill its function. He merely thought this function should be filled at the highest possible level. In designing books, Dwiggins said, "the text of the book is the thing for which everything else exists," paper, type, binding, and design (quoted in Shaw 33). Good designers recognize the importance of the functional distinction on which a perfectly rational design/art dichotomy is based.
There are, of course, many senses in which the basic distinction does not hold up. Personal expression is not absent from the applied arts, for example, and the fine arts also include mechanically-produced multiples such as prints, cast sculpture, and photographs. Some may also claim that novelty is too important a consideration among designers who must usually be driven somewhat by the demands of the market. But, as Haiman's discussion of Imre Kner shows, the best design recognizes the importance of continuity with the past. It is also important that applied design, of any kind, possess the same inner l
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Approximate Word count = 1550
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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